Nostalgia in Social Media and the Construction of the “Southern” Identity of the Adenis

Abstract

Changes in political sentiment among the inhabitants of the former South Yemen, an increase in calls for independence, and rethinking of the Southern identity are accompanied by a rise in nostalgia for the past among the inhabitants of the former South Yemen. Based on the materials collected by the methods of digital ethnography, the article analyzes the role of nostalgic processes in the construction of local identities among Adeni social media users. Nostalgic moods are mainly focused on the time of the British presence (1839–1967) and the existence of the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (1967–1990). Through a nostalgic prism, these historical periods are often perceived by the Adenis in the same way and merge into one image of the lost «Belle Epoque», while the socio- political contradictions and economic diffi culties that existed back then are being forgotten. The image of the unattainable past becomes a space for the construction of the Southern identity in the present with the Adenis comparing their current reality with bygone times, uniqualizing their historical experience and opposing themselves to the inhabitants of North Yemen.