The global nostalgia epidemic of nationalist movements

A wistful looking-back has become a driving force for nationalist movements the world over, and nowhere is this more true than in the case of Brexit. But, as seven recent books show, the Brexiteers’ yearning for a return to their country’s imperial past is not just fanciful, but dangerous, says Edoardo Campanella.

Surveying today’s world, one might well conclude that it is increasingly trapped in the past. Many people across Europe and North and South America believe that life was better 50 years ago.