Reflexive Transformation of Intimacy in Late Modernity Theories: Some Critiques and Conceptual Alternatives
Journal Title: Postmodern Openings - Year 2016, Vol 7, Issue 1
Abstract
The last decades have seen a growing trend towards researching intimacy. A considerable amount of literature has been published based on the reflexive transformation of intimacy framework. This paper starts from the premise that, recently, more and more scholars have criticized the idea that detraditionalization and individualization led to the transformation of intimacy during reflexive modernity (late modernity). Critics question the ability of late modernity concepts to offer a cross-cultural and nuanced image of contemporary particularities of private life and intimate relations. The purpose of this study is to show the current state of knowledge in the social sciences on individualization thesis and detraditionalization thesis, the main theoretical criticisms of the two theses and conceptual alternatives to them. To achieve these goals, we conducted an interpretive synthesis of 16 articles from international literature, published between 1999-2014, in the thematic area of social changes brought by late modernity into the domain of private life and intimacy. In the Introduction section, we briefly present the two theses as reflected in the two of the most cited books on these themes: The Transformations of Intimacy. Sexuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Societies (Giddens, 1992) and The Normal Chaos of Love (Beck and Beck-Gernsheim, 1995). In the body of the paper, we synthesize the arguments sustaining the criticism of the two theses and show some conceptual alternatives to these criticisms, as stated in the literature. In the concluding section, we resume the main arguments to open directions for future studies.
Authors and Affiliations
Catalina-Ionela REZEANU
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP90747
- DOI -
- Views 236
- Downloads 0
Qualitopia, The Quest for Perfection through Quality Management Principles
Quality Principles are the final and ultimate approach to the systematic search for perfect world. After the introduction of the word “Utopia” by Sir Thomas More in 1516, concept of Utopia has evolved into a new meaning...
Preliminaries to a Social-Semiotic Model of Communicative Action
The purpose of this article is to bring contributions to the elaboration of a social-semiotic model of social constructionism, which will make a synthesis between the theory of communicative action and the theories of so...
Transient Structures. Layers of Social Meaning in Conceptual Clothing
Within the conceptual framework of WLC 2016 we have chosen to explore a transdisciplinary approach of postmodern clothing. Fashion has always been a domain in which sociological, philosophical, political, cultural approa...
Thoughts on the New Ethics Expertise. Book Review
The paper is a book review of the book „Catre o noua expertiza etica – deconstruind valorile etice” (Towards a new ethics expertise – deconstructing ethical values), authored by Ana Frunza, and published by Editura LUMEN...
Ongoing Threats to Emerging Financial Entities
In the twenty-first century the pace of technological advancement shows no signs of stopping. Old technologies are being discarded as obsolete or are transformed in ways that nobody could have foreseen even a half-decad...