Historian made me think

CULTURAL historian Hannah Rose Woods joined Jon Ryan at the town hall to discuss her book, Rule, Nostalgia: A Backwards History of Britain.

Travelling through six centuries of Britain’s history, she examined how British people have longed for the “good old days” from the Restoration to the EU referendum.

Rose began by recalling how nostalgic references made during the Brexit campaign and the covid-19 pandemic prompted her to write her book.

Explaining its premise, she said: “We were nostalgic for the Blitz in the pandemic. I wanted to go back and see what people in the Blitz were nostalgic for.”

Rose argued that nostalgia has a “much more pervasive cultural legacy” than we would think.

She explained that the term was first used to describe the experiences of homesick Swiss soldiers fighting abroad in the 17th century.

Later in the talk, she moved on to argue that our relationship with nostalgia can be positive and negative.

Mentioning the British citizenship test, she suggested that nostalgia can cause problems when it borders on historical amnesia.

Lots of hands shot up for the question-and-answer session at the end, with audience members asking some really interesting questions. It was clear that lots of people had really engaged with Rose’s talk.

One particular question about the toppling of the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol led her to make an especially thought-provoking argument.

Comparing the act to similar reactions to statues during the English Reformation, she emphasised the importance of continually re-evaluating our view of historical events.

I think the discussion could have benefited from a slightly longer introduction from interviewer Jon to ease the audience into the
discussion.

I would also liked to have heard Rose’s opinion on some current events as well as the ones mentioned in her book.

However, overall this was a highly thought-provoking talk.

Rose made the topic accessible to her audience and provided us with lots of insightful analysis.

I suspect many audience members have since bought her book.

Lucie Richardson