Addicted to Past:

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse how modern Western culture became fixated on its immediate past. As a result of their growing sense of confusion and discontent with life brought on by capitalism and technological advancement, people began to gradually substitute reality with its simulations. This progressive detachment from reality has made contemporary culture unable to articulate the present and, coupled with the end of the Cold War and the triumph of capitalism, caused historicity to decline dramatically. As Western civilization sought consolation and solutions, it started to fetishize its past, which is demonstrated by the current deluge of remakes and sequels as well as the enormous popularity of retro aesthetics.