Abstract
The article proposes an interpretation of the notion of “historical ontology” as elaborated by Michel Foucault and developed by Ian Hacking. It does so by following the history of two concrete concepts, which concern the relationship between history and memory, and have become of great importance for the theoretical debates of Brazilian historians: trauma and nostalgia. Based on a dialogue with the work of historian Lorraine Daston and a consideration of her debts to the works of Georges Canguilhem and Michel Foucault, the article shows how those two metahistorical categories foster the articulation of historical ontology, historical epistemology, and applied metaphysics. By acknowledging the historicity of the categories of trauma and nostalgia, I argue that the history of medicine and the history of diseases can contribute to a broader understanding of the meaning of trauma and nostalgia in social, subjective, and intellectual life in modernity.
Keywords:
Historical ontology; trauma; nostalgia