Intimacy in the interaction order: The legacy of Erving Goffman in studies of gender, love and sexuality

While the work of Erving Goffman is not an obvious place to seek a sociological understanding of sexuality, love and intimacy, our chapter shows that Goffman made a number of important contributions to these areas. We begin with a review of Goffman’s thinking about gendered social life before proceeding to examine four areas where Goffman examined sexuality, love and intimacy: courtship and seduction; the dramaturgy of heterosexuality; homosexuality and stigma and sexual violence in the interaction order. We go on to take up Randall Collins’ suggestion about a book about sex that Goffman might have written had he lived longer. In this speculative discussion, we show how the rich armamentarium of concepts that Goffman bequeathed sociology could be put to effective use in the sociological analysis of sex. Finally, our chapter explores Goffman’s legacy in studies of sexuality, indicating the more diffuse and long-range impact of Goffman’s ideas to inspire various branches of subsequent scholarship within the areas of sexuality, eroticism and the intimate sphere. We hope to have demonstrated that Goffman speaks to our times as well as his own: his foundational ideas offer valuable perspectives addressing intimate human experiences.