XVIII ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 13-19, 2014)

July 13 - 19, 2014

974

Love As a Sensible Bond: Towards a Global Observation

TG07 Senses and Society (host committee)

Language: English

In the last twenty years the number of scientific articles and books on the subject of love has increased exponentially, not only in Sociology but also in other Social Sciences. The expansion has been global, suggesting that this interest reflects not only a scientific shift but also a social-global concern on such matters. The increase on the number of recent studies has called for taking love not only as a scientific object but even more as an interdisciplinary field of study (Jónasdóttir). Even though love is a complex neuro-bio-social phenomenon which requires interdisciplinary intervention, it can be approached from a distinct sociological perspective. That is, sociologists accept the biological foundations of love (of the human being as a species), but their main interest has been to observe it as: 1) a social discourse which constricts and allows people to express their love to others; 2) a process produced by interaction and which produces also social bonding –efervescence-; 3) a personal experience which can be expressed in words and is embodied (is felt in the body). What these analyses share is that love is culturally and historically diverse in its discourses and experiences, in how it is felt and enacted. Therefore, the session aims to explore the different ways love is experienced/felt, and performed/enacted and its relation to a specific region or regions. The overall objective is to present overarching theoretical elements for a global analysis of love as a social and sensory phenomenon –eg. its’ implications for social bonding, sexual restrain or liberation, nationalism and hatred.