Search

The article presents a reflection on the history of a deep state of melancholy referred to as nostalgia and experienced by French colonists or soldiers in Algeria between 1830 and 1880. Based on military and colonial archives, medical sources and private or official letters, the article discusses the social and emotional context in which young soldiers could let themselves die from nostalgic grief during this period. The means used at the time to help soldiers and emigrants cope with nostalgia are examined.