nuqtainazaridan

Nuqtainazaridan is a fictional term used in speculative fiction and world-building to describe a concept of collective memory and narrative construction. It refers to the way a community anchors its historical interpretation around a single salient turning point, while smaller contributing factors are deemphasized or forgotten. The term is not part of any real linguistic or cultural tradition; it was created to facilitate analysis of how histories are remembered and told.

Etymology and meaning. The word is a constructed coinage drawing on Turkic and Persianate root words, loosely translated as “from the point of view of the point” or “at the hinge moment.” In this context, nuqtainazaridan evokes the idea that a pivotal moment acts as a hinge around which multiple memories, explanations, and identities rotate. Because it is a fictional concept, exact linguistic lineage varies across texts, but the intended sense remains constant: a focal moment defines interpretation.

Applications. In narrative theory and cultural studies within fictional worlds, nuqtainazaridan serves as a lens to study how societies curate monuments, education, and discourse to reinforce a chosen origin story. It helps explain why competing causal accounts fade, even when other factors are historically relevant. Writers use the concept to explore memory bias, sensationalism, and the politics of remembrance, illustrating how public memory can crystallize around a single event.

See also. Collective memory, narrative theory, historical revisionism, world-building concepts.