Intimate relationships have undergone significant transformations globally, with relationship ideals and forms becoming increasingly diverse across commitment types, duration, and organization. This special issue aims to advance knowledge production by promoting observational rather than normative approaches to intimacies, encouraging data-driven scholarship that moves beyond polarized public debates about relationships.
The issue revitalizes Luhmann's systems theory approach to intimate relationships and love as communication media in modern societies. It invites scholars to apply systems-theoretical concepts to examine contemporary transformations of intimate life across different sociocultural contexts, bridging gaps between geographically or culturally isolated scholarly conversations.
Contributions may adopt two perspectives: analyzing intimate systems through systems theory concepts and examining how other social systems (law, politics, media, education) observe and shape intimacies. The special issue welcomes diverse empirical work grounded in theoretical frameworks, particularly from varied sociocultural environments.