On exonostalgia

Abstract

Nostalgia has played a foundational role in the history of anthropology. Historically, our discipline lent its passion for exotic cultures vanishing against the modern world. I call this perspective ‘disciplinary exonostalgia’. In this article, I suggest the persistence of an intimate entwinement of contemporary anthropology with exonostalgia. I argue that nostalgia never really went away. Moreover, it continues to inform major aspects of the production of anthropological knowledge.