"The Politics of Nostalgia: What Happened To Tomorrow?",
with Dr. Louisa Toxværd Munch.

This talk explores nostalgia not simply as a longing for the past, but as a symptom of a present that feels increasingly fractured, unstable and difficult to inhabit. In moments of political exhaustion, economic insecurity, and social alienation, nostalgia offers the promise of return to home, certainty, identity, community, or a world that appeared more coherent than our own.

Drawing on critical theory, philosophy, and contemporary culture, the talk examines how these longings have been mobilised by the far right, whose nostalgic visions of nation and tradition promise stability in an age of anxiety and disorientation. But the talk also asks whether nostalgia can reveal something deeper: a collective grief for lost futures, solidarity, and meaning. Ultimately, it reflects on what our obsession with the past reveals about the crises of the present and the difficulty of imagining a different future.

Bio
Louisa Toxværd Munch is an academic, public educator, and advocate of critical pedagogy whose work focuses on politics, culture, democracy, and social advocacy. Louisa specialises in critical theory and has become widely known through social media for her accessible explanations of power, ideology, and contemporary political issues, particularly the rise of the far right. Her research explores themes including nostalgia, political disenchantment, democracy, and the ways power operates within society. Through her public engagement, Munch encourages audiences to critically examine the world around them and to question dominant political and cultural narratives. Louisa advocates for education as a cornerstone of democratic participation and promotes critical thinking as an essential tool for informed citizenship, collective action, and social change.

Event Running Time:
(We recommend arriving early if you plan on eating at the venue!)
Doors from 7pm
Introduction: 7:25pm
Lecture: 7:30pm
Q&A: 8:10pm
Finish: 8:30pm