The trials and tribulations of late-modern intimate life - revisiting the ideas of Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck and Zygmunt Bauman on contemporary love, sexuality and eroticism

Michael Hviid Jacobsen

doi:10.4324/9781003396932-17

The trials and tribulations of late-modern intimate life - revisiting the ideas of Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck and Zygmunt Bauman on contemporary love, sexuality and eroticism

Michael Hviid Jacobsen^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to book/anthology/report/conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review

Abstract

A spectre haunts late-modern society: sexuality. Sexual life, encompassing love, sexuality and intimacy, has always elicited both fascination and repulsion. It has been viewed through lenses of reproduction, excitement, enjoyment, identity-formation, repression and abuse. This chapter revisits the work of sociologists Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck, Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim, and Zygmunt Bauman, focusing on their insights into sexual life. Giddens’ The Transformation of Intimacy (1992) examines the evolution of intimate relationships. Beck and Beck-Gernsheim’s The Normal Chaos of Love (1995) explores love’s complexities in modern society. Bauman’s Liquid Love (2004) and his reflections on late twentieth-century-sexuality describe a shift towards fluid and transient relationships. This chapter presents, compares and discusses these perspectives, relating them to other theories and recent empirical studies on sexual life. Sociologists are uniquely positioned to analyse the ongoing trials and tribulations of sexual life, providing crucial insights into its contemporary manifestations.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Love and Sexuality in Social Theory
Editors	Emiliano Bevilacqua, Mariano Longo, Michael Hviid Jacobsen
Number of pages	20
Place of Publication	London
Publisher	Taylor and Francis A.S.
Publication date	27 Nov 2024
Edition	1
Pages	234-253
Chapter	14
ISBN (Print)	9781032501130
ISBN (Electronic)	9781040252253
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003396932-17
Publication status	Published - 27 Nov 2024

Series	Classical and Contemporary Social Theory

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 selection and editorial matter, Emiliano Bevilacqua, Mariano Longo and Michael Hviid Jacobsen; individual chapters, the contributors.

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10.4324/9781003396932-17

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Jacobsen, M. H. (2024). The trials and tribulations of late-modern intimate life - revisiting the ideas of Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck and Zygmunt Bauman on contemporary love, sexuality and eroticism. In E. Bevilacqua, M. Longo, & M. H. Jacobsen (Eds.), Love and Sexuality in Social Theory (1 ed., pp. 234-253). Taylor and Francis A.S.. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003396932-17

Jacobsen, Michael Hviid. / The trials and tribulations of late-modern intimate life - revisiting the ideas of Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck and Zygmunt Bauman on contemporary love, sexuality and eroticism. Love and Sexuality in Social Theory. editor / Emiliano Bevilacqua ; Mariano Longo ; Michael Hviid Jacobsen. 1. ed. London : Taylor and Francis A.S., 2024. pp. 234-253 (Classical and Contemporary Social Theory).

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abstract = "A spectre haunts late-modern society: sexuality. Sexual life, encompassing love, sexuality and intimacy, has always elicited both fascination and repulsion. It has been viewed through lenses of reproduction, excitement, enjoyment, identity-formation, repression and abuse. This chapter revisits the work of sociologists Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck, Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim, and Zygmunt Bauman, focusing on their insights into sexual life. Giddens{\textquoteright} The Transformation of Intimacy (1992) examines the evolution of intimate relationships. Beck and Beck-Gernsheim{\textquoteright}s The Normal Chaos of Love (1995) explores love{\textquoteright}s complexities in modern society. Bauman{\textquoteright}s Liquid Love (2004) and his reflections on late twentieth-century-sexuality describe a shift towards fluid and transient relationships. This chapter presents, compares and discusses these perspectives, relating them to other theories and recent empirical studies on sexual life. Sociologists are uniquely positioned to analyse the ongoing trials and tribulations of sexual life, providing crucial insights into its contemporary manifestations.",

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Jacobsen, MH 2024, The trials and tribulations of late-modern intimate life - revisiting the ideas of Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck and Zygmunt Bauman on contemporary love, sexuality and eroticism. in E Bevilacqua, M Longo & MH Jacobsen (eds), Love and Sexuality in Social Theory. 1 edn, Taylor and Francis A.S., London, Classical and Contemporary Social Theory, pp. 234-253. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003396932-17

The trials and tribulations of late-modern intimate life - revisiting the ideas of Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck and Zygmunt Bauman on contemporary love, sexuality and eroticism. / Jacobsen, Michael Hviid.
Love and Sexuality in Social Theory. ed. / Emiliano Bevilacqua; Mariano Longo; Michael Hviid Jacobsen. 1. ed. London: Taylor and Francis A.S., 2024. p. 234-253 (Classical and Contemporary Social Theory).

Research output: Contribution to book/anthology/report/conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review

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Jacobsen MH. The trials and tribulations of late-modern intimate life - revisiting the ideas of Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck and Zygmunt Bauman on contemporary love, sexuality and eroticism. In Bevilacqua E, Longo M, Jacobsen MH, editors, Love and Sexuality in Social Theory. 1 ed. London: Taylor and Francis A.S. 2024. p. 234-253. (Classical and Contemporary Social Theory). doi: 10.4324/9781003396932-17

The trials and tribulations of late-modern intimate life - revisiting the ideas of Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck and Zygmunt Bauman on contemporary love, sexuality and eroticism

Abstract

Bibliographical note

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Love and Sexuality in Social Theory

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