Imperial Nostalgia; Colonial Nostalgia
Differences of Theory, Similarities of Practice?
in Historical Reflections/Réflexions Historiques
Author:
Patricia M. E. Lorcin
Patricia M. E. Lorcin
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The concept of nostalgia in relation to empire is usually analyzed as a longing for former imperial and colonial glory, thus eliding the full spectrum of hegemonic practices that are associated with empire. Focusing on the postindependence narratives and practices of France and Britain, this article distinguishes between imperial nostalgia and colonial nostalgia, arguing that the former is associated with the loss of empire—that is, the decline of national grandeur and the international power politics connected to economic and political hegemony—and the latter with the loss of sociocultural standing or, more precisely, the colonial lifestyle.