IMC 2026: Sessions

In Loriot's infamous Christmas sketch 'Christmas with Hoppenstedts' from 1997, Grandpa comments on the state of the tree, 'There used to be more tinsel.' This statement is paradigmatic for the notion of a better past. Focussing on Late Antiquity, the discussion brings together scholars from various disciplines to explore how different groups and authors invoked idealised versions of the past and how they differed from each other. The round table discussion aims to discuss the rhetorical strategies, social functions, and political implications of these narratives, considering how memories of a purportedly better past shaped identities, justified reforms, or resisted change. By comparing diverse case studies, the round table discussion seeks to illuminate the dynamics and consequences of nostalgic discourse in Late Antique societies.

Participants include Marthe Becker (Fakultät für Geschichtswissenschaft, Philosophie und Theologie, Universität Bielefeld), Nikolas Hächler (Historisches Seminar, Universität Zürich), Roland Steinacher (Institut für Alte Geschichte und Altorientalistik, Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck), Antonia Pia Knöpges (Institut für Alte Geschichte, Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf), Stuart Airlie (School of Humanities, University of Glasgow))