From language and food to fashion and faith, Gen Z is looking backward to move forward—reconnecting with ancestral traditions in a time when cultural identity feels both more personal and more global than ever. In this episode, Queenie explores why so many young people are reviving lost practices, embracing their heritage, and questioning what was once left behind. Through history, social trends, and personal reflection, we examine how culture isn’t just inherited—it’s chosen, adapted, and made new again.

Sometimes the future looks a lot like the past—just with better lighting.

• Pew Research Center – Reports on Millennials, Gen Z, and identity formation

• JSTOR Daily – 'Cultural Reclamation and Intergenerational Memory'

• Psychology Today – Articles on generational trauma and identity development

• Smithsonian Magazine – Features on Americanization and the postwar immigrant experience

• The Atlantic – 'Why Millennials Are Embracing Ancestral Heritage'

• NPR – Interviews and essays on reclaiming indigenous languages and practices

• The New York Times – Articles on global fashion trends and slow fashion revival

• TikTok & Instagram – Observational sources: language challenges, cultural storytelling, fashion

• Personal family history (Zuza’s immigration story)

• Academic papers on assimilation, acculturation, and post-WWII American identity

• Ethnographic interviews and videos from YouTube and creator content on cultural identity

• Harvard Divinity School – Studies on modern spirituality and ancestral practice resurgence

• TED Talks & Podcast segments on identity, heritage, and cultural storytelling