(N)ostalgic Consumption and the Former German Democratic Republic

Coleman, Savannah (2017) (N)ostalgic Consumption and the Former German Democratic Republic. Undergraduate thesis, under the direction of Ana Velitchkova from Sociology, University of Mississippi.

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Abstract

This study examines the consumer psychology of nostalgia. It specifies, focusing on consumer products that are associated with the former German Democratic Republic. My research studies the Ostalgie phenomenon through the lens of nostalgic consumption. The study is focused on understanding the relationship between the consumer psychology of nostalgia and the theory of ‘Ostalgie’ and what implications such a relationship could have. I took previously discussed concepts and theories of nostalgic consumption and observed if they played a role in the consumption of East German goods. I conducted and distributed surveys to eighty-eight Germans above the age of twenty-eight. Both East and West Germans participated in the surveys. After analyzing my findings, I applied previous theory and literature to my results to examine if nostalgic attachment to these goods is present and if so, what was the nature of that nostalgia. By applying the nostalgic consumption theories to the consumption patterns of East German goods, I was able to determine whether Ostalgie, personal nostalgia or something else is present in the relationship between the consumer and product brand. In my discussion, I discuss the presence of nostalgia between consumers and East German goods and what possible implications it may have on the German society and market.

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