Intimate Relationships in Diverse Social and Cultural Contexts
A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760). This special issue belongs to the section "Family Studies".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 November 2025 | Viewed by 287
Special Issue Editors
Interests: intercultural marriage and migration; gender, love, marriage and family in China; dating, singles studies; Chinese media and communication
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: cultural anthropology; urban anthropology; psychological anthropology; human sexuality; romantic love; family systems; human universals; Mormon fundamentalist polygamy (China, Inner Mongolia)
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In recent decades, we have witnessed the convergence of rapid economic development, technological breakthroughs (particularly digital technology and artificial intelligence), and shifting demographics (i.e., rising singles, declining marriages and births, surging divorces, and accelerated aging), which has had a strong impact on social and personal relationships—diverse forms of intimate relationships emerged, such as digital/virtual intimacies, simulated romance, growing intergenerational ties, and kinship intimacy, living-apart-together relationships, polyamorous relationships, companionship marriages, and co-parenting partnerships. More recently, a growing number of countries witnessed the emergence of intimate engagement between human and non-human, exemplified by the rising popularity of chatbot partners, sex dolls, virtual lovers, and holograms. These intimate relationships feature the intertwinement of love, monetary transactions, entertainment, power, labour, adventure, and other motives. These new dynamics both challenged and redefined traditional notions of love, romance, and commitment, highlighting changing gender relations, family structure, and cultural norms.
This Special Issue aims to build a forum for scholars to discuss and debate intimate relationships in various social and cultural contexts. Studies could explore emerging types of intimate relationships in specific social and cultural contexts, the ways in which intimate relations are (re)formed, (re)defined, evolved, and destroyed, and the unique intersections of intimacy and geographic location, gender, class, ethnicity, and power, and other socioeconomic factors. We call for studies from a wide range of fields, including anthropology, criminology, geography, history, political science, psychology, social policy, social work, sociology, and interdisciplinary studies of intimate relationships. Both original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- The history of intimate relationships;
- Media construction of intimate relationships;
- Intimate expressions and behaviours;
- Intimacy and inequality;
- Transnational/cross-cultural intimate relationships;
- Kinship and intergenerational ties;
- Theories of intimate relationships;
- The intimacy business/services;
- Digital intimacies;
- Courtship and mate selection;
- Queer intimacies;
- Same-sex marriage;
- Conflicts, violence, and abuse in intimate relationships;
- Relationship breakdown, separation, and divorce.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Pan Wang
Prof. Dr. William Jankowiak
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- intimacy
- love
- courtship
- sex
- marriage
- emotion
- romance
- affection
- partnership
- relationship
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