ABSTRACT

It can be said that societies today know little of how gender, sexuality and love interconnect in dissimilar contexts, and how they are collectively shaped by social structures.

Underpinned by the theoretical writings of Michel Foucault, Masculinities, Sexualities and Love examines a range of empirical data, including interviews with gay and bisexual men, to understand the ways in which love is constructed and conceptualized. Clearly written, the book is grounded in personal narratives and intimate stories of love, hurt, pain and heartbreak, including the author’s own experiences; and analysed using theoretical frameworks such as hegemonic masculinity, heteronormativity, and post-structuralism. Furthermore, the reader will also find insightful discourse analysis of popular films, such as Fifty Shades of Grey and The Girl on the Train, to examine the construction of love through film.

Forming a timely intervention, Masculinities, Sexualities and Love offers a fresh perspective on the sociology of love and will appeal to students and researchers interested in fields such as Gender and Sexuality Studies, Cultural Studies and Sociology.

chapter

Introduction

Making love

chapter 1|19 pages

Historical, social, and cultural perspectives of love

Love as a global phenomenon

chapter 2|21 pages

Men, masculinities, and love

A contradiction in terms?

chapter 3|20 pages

Sexualities and love

Doing sex and making love

chapter 4|22 pages

Reflexivity and love

Even sociologists fall in love, right?

chapter 5|13 pages

What is love?

chapter 6|17 pages

Gender, love, and loss

The ‘happily ever after’?

chapter |8 pages

Conclusion

The futures of masculinities, sexualities, and love