"Love, Heterosexuality and Society" forges a new agenda for the study of heterosexuality, presenting an empirical study of the construction, negotiation, and enactment of heterosexual sexuality. Using in-depth, interview data from a sample composed of men and women of disparate ages, the book investigates how heterosexuality, as both an identity and a set of practices, is accomplished through love relationships. Rather than assuming that romantic love is an outcome or expression of a pre-defined sexuality, Johnson explores how sexuality is brought to life through love.

Paul Johnson is Professor of Sociology at the University of York, UK.

Introduction: Making love, doing heterosexuality 1. The Essence of Love 2. Making Love and Regulating Sex 3. The Lack of Love: Producing heterosexual subjectivities 4. Haunting Heterosexuality: Homosexuality and the borders of desire 5. The Escape of Desire, The Constraints of Love Conclusion Appendix Bibliography