International Handbook of Love

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xx

   PDF

2. Part I

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

      PDF

   2. Voicing the Stories of Love Across Cultures: An Introduction

      • Claude-Hélène Mayer, Elisabeth Vanderheiden

      Pages 3-21

   3. The State of Ethnological Research on Love: A Critical Review

      • William Jankowiak, Alex J. Nelson

      Pages 23-39

   4. Love’s Ethnographic Record: Beyond the Love/Arranged Marriage Dichotomy and Other False Essentialisms

      • Alex J. Nelson, William Jankowiak

      Pages 41-57

   5. Cultural Diversity of Romantic Love Experience

      • Victor Karandashev

      Pages 59-79

3. Part II

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 81-81

      PDF

   2. Cyberspace: The Alternative Romantic Culture

      • Aaron Ben-Ze’ev

      Pages 83-99

   3. Climbing, and Falling Off, Plato’s Ladder of Love: The Emotions of Love and of Love’s Undoing

      • Warren Tenhouten

      Pages 101-121

   4. Towards the Performance of Embodied Cultures of Love

      • Freddie Crous, Leigh Leo

      Pages 123-133

   5. “A Friend? A Single Soul Dwelling in Two Bodies.” Friendship—a Special Kind of Love

      • Elisabeth Vanderheiden

      Pages 135-154

   6. “Have a Friend with Benefits, Whom off and on I See.” Friends with Benefits Relationships

      • Elisabeth Vanderheiden

      Pages 155-175

   7. Building a Culture of Revolutionary Love: The Politics of Love in Radical Social Transformation

      • Matt York

      Pages 177-191

4. Part III

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 193-193

      PDF

   2. Devotion: “Being Shore to the Ocean”

      • Thomas Ryan

      Pages 195-208

   3. Ashk: The Sufi Concept for Love

      • Çiğdem Buğdaycı

      Pages 209-222

   4. Prema in kabIr’s sAkhI: Indigenous Perspectives on Love

      • Dharm P. S. Bhawuk

      Pages 223-242

5. Part IV

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 243-243

      PDF

   2. Videography of Love and Marriage Order

      • Elena Rozhdestvenskaya

      Pages 245-265

   3. Low-SES Parents’ Love as Educational Involvement with Their Primary School Children: A Synthesis of Qualitative Research

      • Naomi Takashiro, Clifford H. Clarke

      Pages 267-289

This handbook is the winner of the William B. Gudykunst Award for Outstanding Book in 2023, given by the International Academy of Intercultural Research.

This handbook includes state-of-the-art research on love in classical, modern and postmodern perspectives. It expands on previous literature and explores topics around love from new cultural, intercultural and transcultural approaches and across disciplines. It provides insights into various love concepts, like romantic love, agape, and eros in their cultural embeddedness, and their changes and developments in specific cultural contexts. It also includes discussions on postmodern aspects with  regard to love and love relationships, such as digitalisation, globalisation and the fourth industrial revolution. The handbook covers a vast range of topics in relation to love: aging, health, special needs, sexual preferences, spiritual practice, subcultures, family and other relationships, and so on. The chapters look at love not only in terms of the universal concept and in private, intimate relationships, but apply a broad concept of love which can also, for example, be referred to in postmodern workplaces. This volume is of interest to a wide readership, including researchers, practitioners and students of the social sciences, humanities and behavioural sciences.

In the 1970s through the 90s, I was told that globalization was homogenizing cultures into a worldwide monoculture. This volume, as risky and profound as the many adventures of love across our multiplying cultures are, proves otherwise. The authors’ revolutionary and courageous work will challenge our sensibilities and expand the boundaries of what we understand what love is. But that’s what love does: It communicates what is; offers what can be; and pleads for what must be. I know you’ll enjoy this wonderful book as much as I do!

Jeffrey Ady, Associate Professor (retired), Public Administration Program, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Founding Fellow, International Academy for Intercultural Research

The International Handbook of Love is far more than a traditional compendium. It is a breath-taking attempt to synthesize our anthropological and sociological knowledge on love. It illuminates topics as diverse as Chinese love, one-night stands, teen romance or love of leaders and many more. This is a definitive reference in the field of love studies.

Eva Illouz, author of The End of Love: A sociology of Negative relationships. Oxford University Press.

“This is not a volume to be read in a single sitting (though I almost did, due to a protracted hospital stay), nor is it romantic or inspirational reading (though, in some cases, I had hoped for more narrative examples and case studies. Rather it is a highly diverse scholarly effort, a massive resource collection of research papers on love in a variety of contexts, personal and professional settings, and cultures. The work is well referenced providing a large number of resources for deeper exploration. …. We owe our thanks to the authors and editors of this “handbook” for work well done, though that word in the title should not lead readers to suspect that, enlightening as it is, this book is avade mecum or practical tour guide that provides ready solutions to the vicissitudes and challenges of our love lives!”

Reviewed by Dr. George F. Simons on amazon.com

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Please see Claude-Hélène Mayer’s interview related to the handbook in LeanHealth Talks published by Bernadette Bruckner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVNXA9sWuWo  

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Please see Claude-Hélène Mayer’s interview related to the handbook published In Iran News Daily: https://newspaper.irandaily.ir/?nid=6941&pid=6&type=0

• digitalisation and love
• love across the life span
• choice of love partners
• love and health
• family and love
• LGBTQ relationships across cultures
• religion, spirituality and love
• love and other emotions
• globalisation and love
• love in urban and rural settings
• gender and sexuality

• Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

  Claude-Hélène Mayer

• Institut für therapeutische Kommunikation und Sprachgebrauch, Europa Universität Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany

  Claude-Hélène Mayer

• Global Institute for Transcultural Research, Römerberg, Germany

  Elisabeth Vanderheiden

Claude-Hélène Mayer is a Full Professor in Industrial Psychology at the University of Johannesburg, in Johannesburg, South Africa, an Adjunct Professor at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt, Germany and Senior Research Associate at Rhodes University,Grahamstown, South Africa. Her research areas are women in leadership, mental health and salutogenesis in cultural contexts, transcultural conflict management and mediation, shame and psychobiography. She uses positive psychology, system psychodynamic and cultural theory perspectives.




Elisabeth Vanderheiden is a pedagogue, theologian, intercultural mediator. She is the CEO of the Global Institute for Transcultural Research and the President of Catholic Adult Education in Germany. Her publishing activities focus on pedagogy, in particular on the further education of teachers and trainers in adult education, vocational and civic education, but also on the challenges of digitalisation. She has also edited books on intercultural and transnational issues. Her most recent publications deal with shame as a resource as well as with mistakes, errors and failures and their hidden potentials in the context of Culture and Positive Psychology 1.0 and 2.0. Current research projects deal with love in transcultural contexts, with life crises as well as humour in the context of Positive Psychology 2.0. Another focus of her work is Design Thinking in transcultural contexts.

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