ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the interplay between Hartmut Rosa’s concept of “resonance” and the ideas of “nostalgia,” “Heimat,” and “trauma.” By scrutinizing Rosa’s effort to develop a non-nostalgic interpretation of Heimat, the argument underscores that the concept inherently still contains nostalgic elements. Drawing on Svetlana Boym’s distinction between reflective and restorative nostalgia, it asserts that Heimat can embody both reactive and reflective elements, all rooted in nostalgia. This distinction supports the differentiation between restorative and reflective resonance, contra Rosa. To illustrate this, the chapter analyzes the resonance in Edgar Reitz’s film series Heimat, demonstrating how it engages with viewers and addresses collective traumas, showing that resonance can be both restorative and reflective, and enriching Rosa’s theory as a critical theory of modernity.
