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Sociology
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Romantic Relationships, Individualism and the Possibility of Togetherness

Seeing Durkheim in Theories of Contemporary Intimacy

Daniel Santore

State University of New York at Albany, USA, ds9328{at}albany.edu

A parallel is drawn in this article between influential theoretical perspectives on the contemporary culture of romantic intimacy, and Durkheimian interpretations of modernity, individualism and social solidarity.The author sketches generalities of Durkheim's account of individualism and solidarity in modern society; this sketch serves as a heuristic for cataloguing and distilling North American and European theories of contemporary intimacy that have emerged post-1960. Scholarly discourse on intimacy is shown to share rhetorical and substantive ground with Durkheimian understandings of individual interest and social obligation. Self-development and collective ties, and the potential for these to be mutually reinforcing, are central concerns in intimacy theory.Though not commonly engaged in such a manner, perspectives on contemporary intimacy present an opportunity to explore personal relationships in a style uniquely consistent with the generalist inclinations of past sociological traditions, and to move beyond heavily normative claims about individualism in intimacy.

Key Words: Durkheim • individualism • intimacy • sexual relationships • social solidarity • theoretical problems

Sociology, Vol. 42, No. 6, 1200-1217 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0038038508096941
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