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In both Russia and China, state-controlled perspectives play a significant role in shaping public memory and fostering national unity. In Russia, the Mnemonic Warriors promote a glorified version of history to reinforce patriotism, while the Cosmopolitan Intellectuals attempt to present more critical perspectives, though they face resistance due to media and educational control. China uses storytelling to evoke nostalgia for a "golden age" of unity and strength, bolstered by state-controlled media and censorship. These carefully crafted historical narratives serve to legitimize current political power, though digital platforms provide spaces for contesting these official stories.

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Attributive Language: Christoph Grabitz, Legal Studies JD; Christoph Plate, Mathematics PhD; David Merkle, International Studies PhD; Hendrik Sittig, Diplomacy and Psychology PhD; Thomas Tödtling, International Relations PhD; Isabel Weininger, International Law and Relations PhD (et. al 2020)

Evidence: The Chinese government strategically employs storytelling to create a nostalgic longing for a “golden age” of national unity and strength. State controlled media reinforces such nostalgia by glorifying historical figures and selectively remembering events. Due to the heavy censorship in communist China, individuals who challenge such publicly accepted narratives are quickly shut down.

In-text Citation: “By framing the past as a time of unity and strength, the state fosters nostalgia that reinforces its legitimacy in the present.”

Connection to Claim: State narratives in China actively shape public memory to serve present-day political objectives. However, digital storytelling opens up opportunities to contest these official versions of the past, illustrating the dual role of narrative in shaping collective nostalgia.

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Nostalgic storytelling can shape societal identities and political narratives, often distorting historical accuracy in favor of emotional connections to the past. However, by critically addressing the influence of storytelling on nostalgia, we can open pathways to promote more diverse perspectives while maintaining historical accuracy. This approach allows for a more informed, reflective, and inclusive understanding of history. In both political contexts, like post-Soviet states and Germany, and cultural narratives, such as Star Wars, nostalgic storytelling can exclude alternative viewpoints and distort truths. By challenging these nostalgic narratives, we can cultivate a history that is not only more accurate but also more open to the complexities of the past.

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Attributive Language: Published in 2020 in a peer-reviewed journal written by Nicolas Bouchet with PhD in Political Science and Kateryna Pischchikova with PhD in Political Science

Evidence: While there is a degree of civic engagement, significant challenges such as low trust and limited public awareness continue to persist. Final conclusions suggest that in order to achieve a more active, informed, and nationalistic society, politicians need to address these shortcomings beforehand.

In-text Citation: “There are large-membership bodies, like trade unions or youth organizations, but for the most part these are controlled by elites or are benefit-distributing services (for example, veterans’ associations).”

Connection to Claim: Addresses how narratives and collective memories within societies such as these with a strong background influence nostalgia for the past, and how to solve civic engagement issues to promote an active community

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Attributive Language: Authored by Eric Langenbacher with a PhD in Government in 2014

Evidence: Collective memory significantly shapes postwar German foreign policy, its influence has weakened in recent decades. Germany is now a normalized global power, balancing historical responsibility with real political considerations. There is a shift toward pragmatic decision-making rather than memory-based moral imperatives.

In-text Citation: “It has been a long time since any major politician has used a memory-based argument to make, let alone win, a political point in a major policy debate outside of explicit commemorations or anniversaries.”

Connection to Claim: Germany now balances historical responsibility with real political considerations.

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Attributive Language: Written in 2021 by Phillipp Dominik Keidl, with PhD in Film and Moving Image Studies

Evidence: Lucasfilm uses transmedia storytelling to construct a coherent and controlled cultural memory of Star Wars, reinforcing a specific nostalgic view of its history. “Fanboy historians” play a role in perpetuating Lucasfilm’s preferred narrative, while alternative fan-made histories challenge or complicate this nostalgia. Storytelling in contexts such as these serve as both tools for reinforcing nostalgia and for excluding narratives that do not fit the official canon.

In-text Citation: “Lucasfilm’s production of nonfiction media mirrors the strategies of transmedia storytelling in the realm of fiction.”

Connection to Claim: Addresses contemporary forms of storytelling, and how that has impacted the perception of the history being told.

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Attributive Language: Co authored and peer reviewed in 2020 by Eugene Rumer with PhD in International Studies and Richard Sokolsky with MA in Advanced internationaL Studies

Evidence: The Mnemonic Warriors promote a highly selective and glorified version of Russian history, emphasizing patriotism and national unity.The Cosmopolitan Intellectuals attempt to introduce critical perspectives but face significant resistance due to state control over media and education.

In-text Citation: “The Cosmopolitan Intellectuals seek to expose the constructed nature of these narratives, arguing that history should be a space for critical injury rather than blind reverence.”

Connection to Claim: Ultimately, storytelling is a battleground for shaping public memory, with the state using historical myths to reinforce national identity while intellectuals struggle to present a more nuanced historical narrative.

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Attributive Language: Written and peer-reviewed by Monika Prusik with PhD in Social Psychology and Maria Lewick with PhD in Psychology in 2016

Evidence: Nostalgia for communist times is more strongly associated with dissatisfaction with the present, rather than positive memories of the past. Memories of the 1980s, a time full of economic crises and political upheaval, were the strongest predictors of nostalgia, challenging the expectation that the relatively stable 1970s period would’ve been more nostalgically recalled.

In-text Citation: “When asked to describe the PPR period to somebody who did not live through it, the most often mentioned positive aspects of life under communism were availability and stability of employment (26.2%), having enough money (16.4%), cooperation and not competition among people (11.9%), sense of general security and safety (10.6%), and the presence of social benefits, including easy access to free medical services (7.5%).”

“Overall, 13.5% participants used only negatively loaded terms such as hard life, greyness, poverty, emptiness, and so on.”

Connection to Claim: Narratives about the past, especially those that emphasize positive aspects during difficult periods, can contribute to a longing for bygone eras. Acknowledging present challenges may also intensify nostalgic sentiments, suggesting that storytelling can both reflect and shape collective emotions about the past.

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Through research: Nostalgia, particularly in Russia, plays a crucial role in shaping political strategies and public sentiment, especially regarding its Soviet past. Storytelling around this past, often framed through selective memories of stability and benefits, helps the state consolidate power by offering a comforting contrast to present-day struggles. This nostalgia is not just a passive longing but a tool used to justify aggressive foreign policies and regain influence over former Soviet territories. The state shapes these narratives through controlled media and education, fostering a glorified vision of the past, while intellectuals challenge these stories, offering critical perspectives. This conflict between state-controlled and alternative narratives highlights how storytelling can reinforce or challenge nostalgic sentiments that influence both domestic and foreign policies. Similarly, in China, state-controlled storytelling constructs a nostalgic narrative of unity and strength, further consolidating political power while also suppressing alternative stories. In both cases, storytelling serves as a tool for reinforcing a specific vision of the past that aligns with current political agendas, demonstrating how nostalgia can shape national identity and political objectives, but also be contested by alternative perspectives.

The same goes for in communist China, but limitations are far too heavy due to censorship

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Indigenous storytelling is a powerful tool for preserving histories that have been marginalized or omitted by mainstream narratives, particularly in the United States. Through oral and visual forms, Indigenous peoples pass down not only their histories but also the stories that shape their identities, continuously evolving to reflect contemporary realities. This form of storytelling links directly to nostalgia, as it reinforces memories of the past while leaving space for critique and reinterpretation in the present. By reevaluating and recontextualizing these stories, they become dynamic tools that can challenge dominant historical narratives. These narratives, whether oral or visual, also highlight the intimate connections between generations, where younger individuals are shaped by the memories and experiences of older generations. In the context of nostalgia, storytelling allows for the preservation of past values while inviting new perspectives, especially in ongoing political and social conflicts. Ultimately, storytelling is a bridge that connects the past to the present, allowing for both reinforcement and challenge of nostalgic visions of history.

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Attributive Language: Jo-ann Archibald with PhD in Education, peer authored this source about Indigenous storytelling alongside Q’um Q’um Xiiem with PhD in Indigenous Education in 2018

Evidence: Indigenous storytelling does not only reinforce nostalgia for the past, but also offers a critical space to challenge and reinterpret the past. It allows for both continuity and change, where Indigenous people can engage with their history, including painful and traumatic events, while also maintaining sovereignty, identity, and cultural resilience.

In-text Citation: “The storied memories of Indigenous people have been assaulted through decades," by censoring out terrors they faced during colonization, including diseases, restriction of cultural practices, community separation, child abduction, and unwanted assimilation, which have all negatively impacted the intergenerational transmission of culture and memory.”

Connection to Claim: For the Indigenous, storytelling serves as a medium that facilitates the healing process and allows for the shaping of new narratives.

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Attributive Language: Authored by Stefan Ramsden with PhD in Modern British History in 2016

Evidence: Storytelling plays a dual role—reinforcing nostalgia for the past by highlighting communal unity and shared values, but also challenges it by exposing complexities and exclusions within those idealized memories. Such stories can create senses of belonging, but also the division when contrasting “then” and “now” or when explaining what was previously omitted.

In-text Citation: “Oral historians tend to view the selectivity of memory narratives as part of normal and healthy processes through which individuals and groups compose self-identity, and are therefore more sympathetic to nostalgia.”

Connection to Claim: Describes the role of storytelling in shaping nostalgic narratives, specifically how individuals construct and share memories—ultimately both reinforcing the past through storytelling, but also allow such history to be open for critical reexamination.

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Attributive Language: Written by M Paula O'Donohoe with Sociology and Anthropology PhD in 2024

Evidence: Storytelling within families plays a crucial role in transmitting nostalgia, often portraying the past in a way that aligns with the political and ideological positions of narrators.When memories are not explicitly verbalized, non-verbal elements carry nostalgic sentiments across generations. There are two conflicting narratives in Spain—commemorating Francoist Spain and seeking justice for victims. These narratives shape young Spaniards’ understanding of history.

In-text Citation: “Even when the transmission is silent or whispered, there is a transmission of memories and affect. Young people are leading marches in commemoration of Francoist heroes, holding monarchic flags with the eaglet, or leading demonstrations demanding that the victims are heard as they hold Republican flags.”

Connection to Claim: Sums up private storytelling between older generation and new generation in family, and how that leads to new perspectives in contemporary political movements.

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Attributive Language: Co-written in 2019 by Frederick W Kagan with PhD in History Nataliya Bugayova with PhD in Public Administration, Jennifer Cafarella with PhD in Security Studies, about Russia's objective and how they plan to gain political power over other countries and their citizens.

Evidence: Russia’s geopolitical objectives are very heavily influenced by nostalgia for its Soviet past. It’s not just an abstract longing for the communist era, but a strategic tool used to consolidate domestic power to justify aggressive foreign policies. The desire to regain influence in former Soviet territories, the perception of the West as a threat, and the promotion of a specific national identity are all driven by a narrative rooted in Soviet pride and the memory of a more powerful Russia.

Paraphrase: The Kremlin’s strategic objectives are designed to reassert the authority of Russia over its former Soviet territories, partly based on a historical narrative that frames Russia’s loss of influence as a humiliation that must be corrected.

Connection to Claim: Nostalgia for the past is not merely a passive reflection of historical memory but an active driver of contemporary political and military strategy. The Soviet past is invoked strategically by Russia’s leadership to reinforce national pride, justify military actions, and resist Western influences.

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Attributive Language: Co-authored by Michael Dunning with a PhD in Sociology and Jason Hughes with PhD in Sociology in 2020

Evidence: Brexit is not an isolated event but rather part of a historical cycle where nationalism resurges in response to globalization and functional democratization. It reflects a reconfiguration of interdependencies between the UK and the EU rather than a clean break

In-text Citation: “Nationalist belief and value systems in highly developed countries with relatively high standards of living are usually backward-looking creeds.”

“The fantasy image of a buccaneering Britain leading the ‘Anglosphere’ and the countries from its former empire is just that – a fantasy”

Connection to Claim: Nostalgia affects ever-changing history, but will always remain a romanticized fantasy. National identity is shaped by evolving stories that oscillate between inclusion and exclusion

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In societies with strong nostalgic ties to the past, such as some post-Soviet states, there are challenges in fostering active civic participation due to low trust and limited public awareness. To promote a more engaged and informed society, these issues must be addressed through meaningful reform and narrative-driven solutions. In contrast, Germany’s foreign policy has evolved from being heavily influenced by postwar collective memory to a more pragmatic approach. The emphasis on historical responsibility has weakened, with contemporary policy now driven more by political realities than moral imperatives tied to the past.

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In postwar Germany, collective memory once played a central role in shaping foreign policy, particularly around historical responsibility, but in recent decades, this influence has diminished in favor of pragmatic, real-world political considerations. Meanwhile, Lucasfilm employs transmedia storytelling to create a controlled cultural memory of Star Wars, reinforcing a nostalgic narrative while sidelining alternative fan perspectives. Just as Germany’s foreign policy has shifted from memory-driven decisions to pragmatic ones, Lucasfilm’s controlled storytelling shapes how fans view the Star Wars legacy, highlighting the role of storytelling in both preserving and excluding certain narratives.

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Delves deep into two major forms of storytelling: oral and visual. Both can carry significant feelings able to be felt, but never learned unless an individual is able to connect to it on a deeper level, such as with families or mainly when it affects themselves. Memories and knowledge of younger generations are always affected by past and older generations through the stories, both oral and visual, that they pass down. New perspectives in contemporary political disputes always arise through such private histories.

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Nostalgic storytelling continues to have a grasp of social generations, with historical accuracy seeming almost impossible without internal and political conflicts.

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In the midst of political turbulence, the influence of storytelling continues to shape public sentiment, leading to the distortion of historical narratives as different groups manipulate fantasies for power.

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Addressing storytelling influence on nostalgia through the critique of historical perspectives can open up pathways that promote diverse perspectives while also allowing historical accuracy in order to cultivate a more informed, diversified, and reflective understanding of history.

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The issue of storytelling and its impact on reinforcing or challenging nostalgia for the past remains a vital area of exploration, as it shapes not only our personal and collective identities but also how history is constructed and understood. Nostalgia, often bittersweet, is a powerful force that not only shapes individual identity but also serves as a catalyst for the creation of historical narratives. Private storytelling within families serves as the initial conduit through which we experience nostalgia, laying the foundation for the personal beliefs and values that guide our understanding of the world. However, in contemporary society, political elites strategically manipulate nostalgic sentiments to secure power, often using historical narratives to promote specific agendas and obscure uncomfortable truths. This manipulation is evident in the way nostalgic storytelling continues to exert influence over social generations, complicating the pursuit of historical accuracy and fostering internal and political conflicts.

Ultimately, by critically engaging with the influence of storytelling on nostalgia and questioning the historical perspectives it perpetuates, we can open pathways toward a more diverse and accurate understanding of history. This approach is crucial for cultivating a more informed, nuanced, and reflective view of the past—one that allows for a broader range of perspectives while ensuring historical integrity is maintained.

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Collective memory creates communities who value and wish for the same thing, especially in society. Once these communities are strong enough, they have enough influence over other people, either due to pressure or power over more marginalized groups, they are able to create history through fighting to make a change that benefits their community. But, if the change and inspiration they are looking for is in a romanticized version of the past, such communities will ultimately never reach their goal because it is but a mere fantasy that can only exist within their minds.

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While nostalgia often brings a sense of longing for the past, its roots can be traced back to early personal experiences, such as stories shared within families.

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However, as we move beyond personal nostalgia, we begin to see how our collective memories, often shaped by family narratives, intersect with broader societal tensions, especially a political climate marked by deep division.

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Russia's nostalgia for its Soviet past shapes both its domestic policies and foreign strategies, particularly in efforts to regain influence over former Soviet territories. This longing is not just a sentimental reflection but a tool to consolidate power and justify aggressive actions, driven by the narrative that the loss of influence was a humiliation to be corrected. At the same time, nostalgia is often linked to dissatisfaction with the present, with memories of challenging times, like the 1980s, being strong predictors of this sentiment. Positive recollections of stability, employment, and social benefits contrast with current struggles, showing that nostalgia can reflect present frustrations while also shaping political narratives. Thus, Soviet-era memories actively influence both public sentiment and political objectives in Russia.

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Nostalgia for the Soviet era is often rooted in dissatisfaction with the present, with memories of the economically troubled 1980s, rather than the more stable 1970s, being the strongest predictors. Positive aspects, such as employment stability and social benefits, are recalled despite the hardships, highlighting how present struggles can shape longing for the past. Meanwhile, Russia's historical narratives are shaped by a struggle between the state's glorified version, promoted by the Mnemonic Warriors, and critical perspectives from the Cosmopolitan Intellectuals. The state controls media and education to foster a narrative of patriotism, while intellectuals seek to challenge these constructed myths.

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Indigenous storytelling provides a lens into history that has been omitted by America in their history classes for the sake of no one turning against the US. But, such storytelling for the Indigenous is also a way from them to understand their identities and where they come from. This connects to how storytelling shapes nostalgic narratives and memories, continuing to be passed down to future generations and always be open for reevaluation and critique, shifting messages from back then taken out of passed down stories into new ones to fit contemporary times.

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Storytelling plays a pivotal role in shaping nostalgia and collective memory, influencing how people form identities and communities. While nostalgia can offer a sense of belonging through shared past experiences, it can also reinforce divisions when these memories are not universally accessible. For those whose life experiences differ from the dominant narratives, storytelling becomes a tool that can either exclude or challenge this collective memory. Communities formed around shared stories and memories can gain power, but if their storytelling romanticizes a past that never truly existed, it can limit their potential for meaningful change. Instead of fostering progress, such nostalgic storytelling can trap communities in fantasies, preventing them from creating a more inclusive and realistic vision for the future. Thus, storytelling plays a dual role: it can reinforce nostalgia by idealizing the past or challenge it by presenting alternative narratives that question and reshape the collective memory.

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Nostalgia may seem beautiful, but in the end, everyone from all over the world have differing life experiences. If identity is shaped through nostalgia and life experiences, as well as storytelling from past generations, those who are marginalized will almost never be able to connect to collective memory in a different part of the world. This cycle continuation leads to the diverse perspectives that exist throughout society.

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What role does storytelling play in reinforcing or challenging nostalgia for the past?

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Attributive Language: Written by Mario Panico, Postdoctoral researcher in 2023

Evidence: Nostalgia can selectively highlight certain aspects of the past, leading to a distorted collective memory that serves ideological purposes. Such can reinforce specific collective identities while marginalizing others.

In-text Citation: “When nostalgia serves as an ideological instrument, it selectively highlights specific aspects of the past, potentially marginalizing others.”

“Nostalgia as a filtered emotion can distort the past when used as a political tool to consolidate collective identities.”

Connection to Claim: Storytelling, influenced by nostalgic sentiments, can shape collective memory and identity through memory selection, emphasizing certain aspects of the past, serving specific ideological pulses and ultimately affecting how communities perceive their history and themselves.

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Attributive Language: Co authored by Jennifer Kitson with PhD in Geography and Kevin McHugh with PhD in Geography in 2015

Evidence: Rather than strictly preserving historical accuracy, research participants create an “aesthetic of pastness,” where nostalgia is shaped through personal stories, domestic practices, and material interactions, ultimately finding the storytelling reinforces nostalgia by making the past feel present and emotionally resonant, but also heavily distorting historical realities to better romanticize the past, creating the phenomenon of nostalgia.

In-text Citation: “Nostalgia is the sensory experience of desire for something that is unnamable and unreachable, momentarily present in fleeting fragments.”

Connection to Claim: Nostalgia is not just about longing for the past, but engaging with it through storytelling and sensory experiences.

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Contemporary times are filled with political angst, with elites taking advantage of our diverse views in order to gain power over society.

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Private storytelling within families serve as the very first form of nostalgia we experience, and become the origin of our individual beliefs.

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Storytelling, private and public, usually clash against one another between cultural identity and social influence. There are many different forms of storytelling that exist—oral, written, visual, and digital—but they can be distorted to favor one perspective of history, or twisted in a way to benefit the storyteller, such as political views to gain popularity or cultural significance to omit certain information to symbolize integrity. Traditional forms of oral storytelling within communities such as indigenous or marginalized groups have little benefit to be gained except having their perspective of history finally realized. Indigenous colonization has been censored from American history textbooks for ages, including "disease, legislation against cultural and ceremonial practices, family and community separation through boarding or residential schools, abduction of Indigenous children for adoption and fostering purposes, and educational assimilation in public and postsecondary education systems have negatively impacted the intergenerational transmission of culture and memory” (Archibald et. al 2018). But, such forms have started to shift, creating contemporary versions of storytelling in order to gain a strong foothold in challenging nostalgia for the past, changing history to the truth. But, there have also been cases in which communist countries such as China and Russia use these forms of storytelling in order to gain trust and compliance from citizens. The Kremlin’s strategic objectives are designed to reassert the authority of Russia over its former Soviet territories, partly based on a historical narrative that frames Russia’s loss of influence as a humiliation that must be corrected (Kagan et. al 2019). This is a prime example of this, but also using historic nostalgia of their previous "powerful past" and glorifying it in such a way to generate feelings of pride and empowerment within citizens to boost overall morale and confidence for their country, ultimately blinding them to additional past shortcomings as well.

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Most individuals experience nostalgia as something bittersweet, but this phenomenon is also a catalyst for the creation of history.