About this Research Topic
Different conceptions of love emerge in the tradition of sociological thought. Today, the different positions emphasize, on one hand, the relationship that this concept has with the world of emotions (in particular, empathy and social emotionality, also from a psychological perspective), and on the other, its manifestation as a form of social action capable of transforming society in a solidaristic sense (in political and economic spheres, for example) (Sorokin 1954; Boltanski 2001, Iorio 2014; Iorio, Cataldi 2022). In this way, the concept of love leads the sociological perspective on love to intertwine with that of other disciplines, such as psychology, political science, economics and also leads to the different conceptual and empirical nuances it can take on in social theory and in social life.
This Research Topic aims to solicit a reflection around the concept of love, in particular with respect to how the polarization that encompasses it (love as an emotion or social action) is treated in scientific debates, by welcoming articles of a theoretical and empirical nature, also by scholars from disciplines other than sociology, according to the following thematic areas:
a) Love as an emotion: the role of empathy in social transformation. We invite the authors to explore how love as an emotion influences social relations and various phenomena within society.
b) Love as a form of generative social action. Articles can examine the dynamics of social love and its generative effects in different social spheres.
c) Love between emotion and action in sociological thought. We invite authors to reflect on the relationship between the emotional and practical dimensions of love as a form of social action from the thought of classical and contemporary sociologists.
These thematic areas may be dealt with by focusing on the following topics:
• body and identity
• relationships and social generativity
• communication, technologies and digital society
• culture and sacred
• social economies and human development
• environment and sustainability
• public policies, civil society, and solidarity
• art and social transformation
• epistemology and methodology.
This Research Topic welcomes contributions from young researchers, professors and all those who share a scientific interest in sociology and, in particular, the topic of love, emotions, social interactions and neuroscience. It would be preferable, to send a manuscript summary of up to 500 words in order to receive feedback. Please follow the structure of the selected article type.
This Research Topic aims to solicit a reflection around the concept of love, in particular with respect to how the polarization that encompasses it (love as an emotion or social action) is treated in scientific debates, by welcoming articles of a theoretical and empirical nature, also by scholars from disciplines other than sociology, according to the following thematic areas:
a) Love as an emotion: the role of empathy in social transformation. We invite the authors to explore how love as an emotion influences social relations and various phenomena within society.
b) Love as a form of generative social action. Articles can examine the dynamics of social love and its generative effects in different social spheres.
c) Love between emotion and action in sociological thought. We invite authors to reflect on the relationship between the emotional and practical dimensions of love as a form of social action from the thought of classical and contemporary sociologists.
These thematic areas may be dealt with by focusing on the following topics:
• body and identity
• relationships and social generativity
• communication, technologies and digital society
• culture and sacred
• social economies and human development
• environment and sustainability
• public policies, civil society, and solidarity
• art and social transformation
• epistemology and methodology.
This Research Topic welcomes contributions from young researchers, professors and all those who share a scientific interest in sociology and, in particular, the topic of love, emotions, social interactions and neuroscience. It would be preferable, to send a manuscript summary of up to 500 words in order to receive feedback. Please follow the structure of the selected article type.
Keywords: Social action, societal change, concept of love, social love, relationships, solidarity
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
