ABSTRACT
In 1975, American historian and geographer David Lowenthal argued that “nostalgia threatens to engulf all of past time and much of the present landscape.” 1 In summing up his views, he referred to the past as a “foreign country,” a space where today’s needs are addressed and ultimately transformed into functional responses to the anxieties of the present age. 2 The craze for reissues that has arisen since the 1990s – whether it be for cars, wristwatches, or movies – does more than just return to the spotlight items of the past as iconic elements of the present. 3 Rather, it might reflect a present-day obsession with the past as a place where things were in some way “purer” – less diluted by market researchers endeavoring to position products, brands, and events in an effort to capture ever more of the market share. But what exactly is the heritage that these reincarnations build upon? And what do the intermediary steps between initial incarnations and their more modern recreations overlook?
