Love as Passion: The Codification of Intimacy (Social & Political Theory) - Hardcover

Luhmann, Niklas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0745600778 ISBN 13: 9780745600772

Publisher: Polity Press, 1986

Synopsis

In this important book Niklas Luhmann - one of the leading socialthinkers of the late 20th century - analyses the emergence of'love' as the basis of personal relationships in modernsocieties. He argues that, while family systems remained intact inthe transition from traditional to modern societies, a semanticsfor love developed to accommodate extra-marital relationships; thissemantics was then transferred back into marriage and eventuallytransformed marriage itself. Drawing on a diverse range ofhistorical and literary sources, Luhmann retraces the emergence andevolution of the special semantics of passionate love that has cometo form the basis of modern forms of intimacy and personalrelationships. This classic book by Luhmann has been widely recognized as awork of major importance. It is an outstanding contribution tosocial theory and it provides an original and illuminatingperspective on the nature of modern marriage and sexuality.

About this title

Review

"There is a dearth of analytical writing about the emotions and sentiments that seem to motivate most human action, at least in everyday discussion, although some researchers are making some efforts to remedy this situation. Love as Passion is an outstanding contribution to this emerging trend . . . full of novel information and fascinating ideas." ( Contemporary Sociology)

About the Author

Niklas Luhmann is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Bielefeld.

About this edition

• Publisher: Polity Press
• Publication date: 1986
• ISBN 10: 0745600778
• ISBN 13: 9780745600772
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256