The Viking myth: nostalgia and collective guilt

ABSTRACT Consumer understanding of the past often revolves around myths or sanitized versions of history. Consumers resort to these fantasies to connect with values they feel are lost in modern life. Interpreted, however, such imaginations may also invoke moral dilemmas. Findings from interviews conducted on-site at a Viking-themed restaurant indicate that this is the case with the Viking myth, which has been misappropriated by white supremacists. Using Derrida’s concept of “hauntology” as a theoretical lens, findings suggest that the Viking myth, in addition to nostalgia, may evoke feelings of collective guilt when inscribed in a present-day ideological landscape. Findings also show that consumers can resolve such mythological tension by employing atonement as a self-authenticating act. The theoretical framework of collective guilt as a hauntology explains relationships between consumer myth-making and nostalgia that have not been recognized by prior research on past-themed consumption.