Conference Program

Program at a Glance

You can print the PDF version of the conference program Rev 3 January Final here.

Abstracts of Presentations at the Love Studies Conference

Keynote presentations are 45 minutes, including questions. Presentations at the thematic sessions are 15 minutes, including questions. Some tweaks in the program are still possible if they are really necessary. Please follow these small updates in December.

DateTime                  Event
2 Jan19:00 –Welcome reception
3 Jan, Day 19:00 – 9: 30Opening of the International Conference on Love Studies!
The events of the conference take place in Gran Forum A of the AC Hotel Gran Canaria
9: 30 – 10:15 What Is Love Anyway? Victor Karandashev, Aquinas College, Michigan, USA (In-person presentation)
10:15 -11:00Love as a Complex Conceptual Category, Zoltán Kövecses, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary (Online presentation)
11:00 -11:20Coffee break
11:20 – 12:20Thematic session: Love in Modern Social Communication, Chair Jean-Baptiste Pettier
  1. Shared Beliefs on Love in Everyday Life: A Cultural Consensus Perspective, Saida Heshmati, Claremont Graduate University, United States, (Online presentation)
  2. The partner(s) and the nation – The passion and peril of the appropriation of romantic love in patriotic propaganda discourse in Contemporary China, Kailing Xie, University of Birmingham, UK, (In-person presentation)
  3. Towards a Political Account of Love, Philip McKibbin, The University of Sydney, Australia, (Online presentation)
  4. Love-less Lives, Isolated Minds: The Epistemic Fallout of Incels, Leah Ritterfeld, University of Vienna, Austria, (In-person presentation)
12:20 – 13:05Thematic session: Love, Marriage, and Family in Cultural Contexts, Part 1, , Chair Rashmi Singla
  1. How to Love Here: Iraqi Yezidi Refugee Marriage Decisions in Germany Amidst Forced Assimilation and Legacies of Dispossession, Allison Stuewe, University of Arizona, United States of America, (In-person presentation)
  2. What’s love got to do with it? Descriptions of understanding love in the Kathmandu valley, Nepal, Renee Ford, Aarhus University, Denmark (Online presentation)
  3. Agapic Love, Gender Friction, & Fertility Decline in South Korea, Alex Nelson, University of Indianapolis, USA, (In-person presentation)
13:05 – 14:05Lunch (self-arranged)
14:05 – 15:05Thematic session: Literary Studies of Love, Part 1, Chair Francesca Pierini
  1. ‘Roma’ Spelled Backwards: Love and Heterotopic Space in Contemporary Romance Novels Set in Italy, Francesca Pierini, Asian University for Women, University of Regensburg, Bangladesh, Germany, (In-person presentation)
  2. “As your lover describes you, so you are”: Tracing the intertextuality of romantic love in Jeanette Winterson’s early fiction, Dóra Szokolyai, University of Szeged, Hungary, (In-person presentation)
  3. A New Vision of Romantic Love through the Power of Fifty Shades: A Self-Discovery Manual on Love, Sex and Eroticism, Cathaysa Santana-Rodríguez, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, (In-person presentation)
  4. Exploring the Diversity of Polygamy and Monogamy in Romance Novels: A Literary Examination of Complex Love Dynamics, Nakeesha Seneb, New England College, MFA Student, USA, (Online presentation)
15:05 – 16:05Thematic session: Philosophy of Love, Part 1
  1. The Nature and Identity of Romantic Love and Friendship Love, Simon Stromer, LMU Munich, Germany, (In-person presentation)
  2. Love’s Biological Function and its Social Construction: Enemies to Partners, Milan Ney, CUNY Graduate Center/Oxford University, United States/United Kingdom, (Online presentation)
  3. Love and Causation: The Metaphysical Background of the Differences in Ibn Sina’s and Aristotle’s Godly Love, Heide König, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany, (In-person presentation)
  4. Causes and Reasons: When Love is Arational, Arina Pismenny, University of Florida, USA, (Online presentation)
16:05 – 17:20Thematic session: Psychology and Neurobiology of Love, Chair Vivian Zayas
  1. How much does it hurt? Individual differences in subjective and cardiac responses to romantic rejection, Frederik van der Veen, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands, (Online presentation)
  2. Addicted to the Beloved? A Comparison of Craving for and Attention to Beloved and Vape Stimuli, Caitlyn Harriman, University of Missouri – St. Louis, USA, (Online presentation)
  3. Romantic love, distraction, and task performance, Sandra Langeslag, University of Missouri – St. Louis, United States, (Online presentation)
  4. Phenotypes of romantic love, Adam Bode, Australian National University, Australia, (Online presentation)
5. Do we implicitly love our phones and pets similar to how we implicitly love our romantic partners? Examining generalizability of implicit bivalence, Vivian Zayas, Cornell University, USA (In-person presentation).
4 Jan, Day 29:00 – 9:45Are We a Pair Bond Species: What Do American Fundamentalist Polygamous Communities Reveal? William Jankowiak, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA (In-person presentation)
9:45 – 10:30Maintaining Intimacy Living Apart Transnationally, Rashmi Singla, Roskilde University, Denmark (In-person presentation)
10:30 – 11:15Thematic session: Love in Popular Culture, Chair María Isabel González Cruz
  1. Facets of Love: A Pragmatic Analysis of Family Discourse in American TV Series, Valentina Rossi, eCampus University of Novedrate, Italy, (Online presentation)
  2. Kings of the Damned: Exploring the Complex Masculinities of Pop Culture Icons, Nazlin Shakir, Drew University, USA, (In-person presentation)
  3. Love Alamat. Love, Alamat: Explicating Multi-Layered Narratives Involved in Loving a Pinoy Pop Boy Group, Andrea Anne Trinidad, Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines, (Online presentation)
11:15 – 11:35Coffee break
11:35 – 12:35Thematic session: Literary Studies of Love, Part 2, Chair Willie van Peer
  1. Leonard Cohen: The Duty of Lovers, Ken Fuchsman, University of Connecticut, United States of America, (In-person presentation)
  2. There is no happy love, Willie van Peer, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany, (In-person presentation)
  3. “The Love Song of J. Alfred of J. Alfred Prufrock”, When Love Is Verbally Constructed – A Cognitive Poetics Analysis, Radhia Krid, College of Arts and Humanities of Sfax, Tunisia, (Online presentation)
  4. Unspeakable Desires: Maternal Love, Guilt and Subjectivity in Mary Dorcey’s ‘When You’re Asleep, Irene Lens-Fernández, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, (Online presentation)
12:35 – 13:35Lunch (self-arranged)
13:35 – 14:20Thematic session: Philosophy of Love, Part 2,
  1. Conceptual Analysis of Love from the Perspective of Philosophy of Well-Being, Takanobu Watabe, Kyoto University, Japan, (Online presentation)
  2. One way to get around the issue of loving a socio-political other, Anthony Greenaway, n/a, United Kingdom, (Online presentation)
  3. A Kierkegaardian account of self-love, Dar Triffon-Reshef, University of Notre Dame, USA, (Online presentation)
14:20 – 15:20Thematic session: Language of Love, Part 1, Chair Jessica Symons
  1. Cultural variability in the use and meanings of the locution “I love you”, Richard Wilkins, Baruch College, CUNY, USA, (Online presentation)
  2. Symbolic Representations of the Love Act across Cultures, Ian Skoggard, Human Relations Area Files at Yale University, United States, (In-person presentation)
  3. So, soyάyyὰ, and ƙάunὰ ‘love’ constructional metonymy and metaphor in Hausa language and culture, Mustapha Tsakuwa, College of International Studies Southwest University, Chongqing, China, (Online presentation)
  4. Fluttering Hearts: through the looking glass of Korean romantic dramas towards a framework for analysing constructs of love in cultural contexts, Jessica Symons, University of Manchester, UK, (In-person presentation)
15:20 – 16:20Thematic session: Diversity of Love Relationships, Chair Rashmi Singla
  1. Beliefs of romantic love in friends with benefits and romantic relationships, Encarnación Soriano-Ayala, Universidad de Almeria, Spain, (Online presentation)
  2. Negotiating normativity: On experiences of infidelity in romantic relationships, Simone Schneider, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, (In-person presentation)
  3. Emotional practices in polyamorous relationships in Germany, Maribel Graf, University of Tübingen, Germany, (In-person presentation)
  4. Maintaining Midlife Love: The Radical Potential of Endurance, Rahil Roodsaz, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, (In-person presentation)
16:20 – 18:00Poster session, Chair Malthe Rye Thomsen
  1. Narcissism and partner-enhancement at different relationship stages, Anna Czarna, Jagiellonian University, Poland (In-person presentation)
  2. Early instability in maternal sensitivity predicting adulthood partner violence perpetration, Anshu Patel, University of Minnesota, United States of America (In-person presentation)
  3. Exploring the link between flourishing and love dynamics in continuous time, Lindy Williams, Penn State University, USA (Online presentation)
  4. When Appreciation predicts Motivation: Gratitude Receipt predicts Instrumentality Intentions in Relationships, especially for Insecurely Attached Individuals, Emily O’Brien, University of Pittsburgh, United States (Online presentation)
  5. Is it good to be in love? Relationships between Passionate Love, Relationship Satisfaction and Life Satisfaction, Daniela Zibenberg, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro – PUC-Rio, Brazil (Online presentation)
  6. Unveiling Romantic Love Discourse, Emotion and Affect in Digital Contexts, Katherine Joseph, University of East London, United Kingdom, (In-person presentation)
  7. 177 Lovers and Counting: My Life as a Sex Researcher, Leanna Wolfe, Wise Woman Sex and Relationship Consulting, USA (Online presentation)
  8. ‘Love in the Air’: Struggles in Desire among Chinese Migrants in Kingston, Jamaica, Yichi Zhang, University of St Andrews, United Kingdom (Online presentation)
  9. Relationship induced self-concept changes and authenticity in romantic relationship, Vera Cubela Adoric, Department of Psychology, University of Zadar, Croatia (Online presentation)
  10. Red Flags: Biased Evaluations of Romantic Partners and Their Behaviors Through Inclusion-of-Other-in-the-Self, Jacqueline Lechuga, The University of Texas at El Paso, United States (In-person presentation)
  11. Digitized Dating Life: Emotional Processing of 25–35-year-olds Danes, Malthe Rye Thomsen, Department of Communication, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (In-person presentation)
5 Jan, Day 39:00 – 9:45Love in China: Politics, Economics and Social Change, Pan Wang, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia (Online presentation)
9:45 – 10:30What’s New with Love in East Asia? Ethnographic and Theoretical Perspectives, Jean-Baptiste Pettier, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Germany (In-person presentation)
10:30 – 11:15Thematic session: Modern Love and Marriage in Social Contexts, Chair Rashmi Singla
  1. On intersections of love and social class in urban India, Anna Romanowicz, Jagiellonian University, Poland, (Online presentation)
  2. The Politics of Space and Taste: Public Romance in Urban India, Meghna Bohidar, University of Delhi, India, (In-person presentation)
  3. Love Dynamics in Academic Exchange, Ulrike de Ponte, OTH Regensburg, Germany, (In-person presentation)
11:15 – 11:35Coffee break
11:35 – 12:35Thematic session: Love, Marriage, and Family in Cultural Contexts, Part 2, Chair Victor de Munck
  1. Commensurable and incommensurable love styles, Victor de Munck, Vilnius University, Lithuania, (In-person presentation)
  2. Comparison of implicit attitude of college students towards parents and romantic partners, Hongli Gao, Xinxiang Medical University, China (Online presentation)
  3. The Golden Child: Adult-Sibling Relationships and Elderly Parent Care, Mukta Sharangpani, Santa Clara University, USA (In-person presentation)
  4. The lived experience of love at the moment of dying – seen from the relative’s perspective, Hanne Bess Boelsbjerg, Aarhus University, Denmark (Online presentation)
12:35 – 13:35Lunch (self-arranged)
13:35 – 14:35Thematic session: Love in Cross-Cultural Perspectives, Chair Marta Kowal
  1. Ways in which physical attractiveness and love are actually related, Charles Hill, Whittier College, USA, (In-person presentation)
  2. Why Study Love Worldwide: Universality and Cultural Diversity of the Triangular Theory of Love, Piotr Sorokowski, University of Wrocław, Poland, (In-person presentation)
  3. The interplay between romantic love and culture and environment: Data from 61,065 individuals from 82 countries, Marta Kowal, University of Wrocław, Poland, (In-person presentation)
  4. Affectionate touch behaviors are universally associated with love toward romantic partners, Agnieszka Sorokowska, University of Wroclaw, Poland, (In-person presentation)
14:35 – 15:35Thematic session: Love and Dating, Chair Jean-Baptiste Pettier
  1. Cultural Differences in Adolescent Dating: Educator Narratives in Southeastern Spain, Verónica Cala, University of Almeria, España, (Online presentation)
  2. Myths of Romantic Love and adolescent dating violence from the perception of high school socio-educational professionals, Rachida Dalouh Ounia, University of Almeria, Spain, (Online presentation)
  3. Less love on the spectrum? A Comparative Analysis of Romantic Experiences of Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults, Linda Dekker, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands, (Online presentation)
  4. Paler isn’t prettier: Little evidence of colorism among Asian American speed-daters, Karen Wu, California State University, Los Angeles, USA, (Online presentation)
15:35 – 16:20Thematic session: Love in Education, Counseling, and Other Services, Part 1
  1. The Attachment Between a Care Worker and a Child: The Case of Japanese Childhood Education, Noriko Tagawa, Nagoya University of Economics, Japan, (In-person presentation)
  2. Pedagogical love in the teaching of The Educational Program for Sami Curators, Marija Griniuk, Sami Center for Contemporary Art, Norway, (Online presentation)
  3. Actional love and effective altruism in dealing with “difficult” clients, Hans-Jörg Lütgerhorst, Akademie für Verhaltenstherapie Köln/ Germany, Germany, (In-person presentation)
16:20 – 17:35Thematic session: Language of Love, Part 2, Co-Chairs María Isabel González Cruz and Zoltán Kövecses
  1. Love as a creative force and the sacral role of women in traditional societies. – A cognitive linguistic approach, Veronika Jávor-Szelid, ELTE, Hungary, (Online presentation)
  2. A Multidimensional Model of Love, Iryna Pinich, Kyiv National Linguistic University, Ukraine, Södertörn University, Sweden, (Online presentation)
  3. “Tales of Love Unforgotten: Metaphors that Echo in the Silence of Dementia, Anna Rommel, ELTE, Budapest, Hungary, (Online presentation)
  4. Anna Wierzbicka is talking about her psycholinguistic research on love
6 Jan, Day 49:00 – 9:45Love in Sub-Saharan African Contexts, Claude-Hélène Mayer, University of Johannesburg, South Africa (Online presentation)
9:45 – 10:30Love in the Arab World, Corinne Fortier, French National Center of Scientific Research, Collège de France, Paris, France (In-person presentation)
10:30 – 11:15Do You Really Want a Superior Partner? The Paradox of Romantic Equality? Aaron Ben-Ze’ev, University of Haifa, Israel (In-person presentation)
11:15 – 11:35Coffee break
11:35 – 12:35Thematic session: Love, Marriage, and Family in Cultural Contexts, Part 3, Chair Rashmi Singla
  1. Forms of Intercultural Love in Japanese-Western Marriages in Japan, Reggie Pawle, Kansai Gaidai University, Hirakata-shi, Japan (Online presentation)
  2. Relationships Between Paternal Involvement and Parental Relationship Quality, Buse Şencan Karakuş, Hacettepe University, Turkey (Online presentation)
  3. Feeding, Bonding, and Intergenerational “Love” in an Indigenous Society in Taiwan, Leberecht Funk, Independent Scholar; Free University of Berlin, Germany (Online presentation)
  4. Baby Makes Three: The Changing Face of Marital Love Across the Transition to Parenthood, Kristin Mickelson, Arizona State University, United States (In-person presentation)
12:35 – 13:35Lunch (self-arranged)
13:35 – 14:35Thematic session: Literary Studies of Love, Part 3: Love in Literaty Narratives, Chair María Ramos-García
  1. African Othellos and Desdemonas: Transnational Allegories of Jealous Love, Fatima Moolla, University of the Western Cape, South Africa, (In-person presentation)
  2. A Stylistic Study of the Concept of Love in Kahlil Gibran’s book ’The Prophet’, Abbas Zirjawi, College of Arts, University of Baghdad, Iraq, (In-person presentation)
  3. Corpus-assisted Critical Discourse Analysis of ‘love’ in Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones’s Diary, Bartlomiej Kowalczyk, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool City Council Adult Learning Service, United Kingdom, (In-person presentation)
  4. A Model for the 21st Century? Love Relationships in Urban Fantasy with Female Protagonists, María Ramos-García, South Dakota State University, United States, (In-person presentation)
14:35 – 15:20Philosophy of Love, Part 3
  1. Marsilio Ficino’s Erotic Hedonism, Enrico Piergiacomi, Technion | Israel Institute of Technology, Israel, (Online presentation)
  2. The Power of Love, Lauren Edwards, York University, Toronto, Canada, (Online presentation)
  3. Home Without Ground, Matthew Hoffman, Indiana University Bloomington, United States, (Online presentation)
15:20 – 16:05Thematic session: Love in Education, Counseling, and Other Services, Part 2, Chair Giorgia Nigri
  1. The lived experiences of altruistic love during international service-learning, Chin-Ping Liou, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan, (In-person presentation)
  2. Becoming Christ to the World: Putting God’s love into action, Katrine Pahuus, Aarhus University, Denmark, (In-person presentation)
  3. Evoking a Loving Inquiry in a Group Setting Using Collaborative Auto Ethnography, Giorgia Nigri, Sophia University Institute, Vatican, (In-person presentation)
16:05 – 17:05Thematic session: Love to Non-Human Objects, Chair Chuck Hill
  1. An Ecocentric Definition of Love: Moving Beyond the Human Bias in Love Research, Estella Kuchta, Simon Fraser University, Canada, (Online presentation)
  2. A phenomenological exploration on love divided between romantic partner and musical instrument in Turkish cultural context, Duygu Dincer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA, (Online presentation)
  3. Posthuman Eroticism and Erobots, Aura Schussler, “Babeş-Bolyai” University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, (Online presentation)
17:15 – Closing remarks and farewell reception
7 JanThe events of the Teaching Institute on Love Studies
9:00 – 9:50Zoltán Kövecses, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary, The Methods of Cognitive Linguistic Analysis of Love and the Emotions (Online presentation)
10:00 – 10:50Victor de Munck, Institute of Asian and Transcultural Studies at Vilnius University, Lithuania, Systematic Emic Methods in Anthropology (In-person presentation)
11:00 – 11:50Victor Karandashev, Aquinas College, Michigan, USA, Promises and Pitfalls in Measurements of Love (In-person presentation)
12:00 – 12:50Aaron Ben-Ze’ev, University of Haifa, Israel, Studying Love in a Digital Manner (Online presentation). You can play Interactive Slide The online course Romantic Love on your own before Jan 7 to better understand the lecture of Aaron Ben-Ze’ev

The Schedule of Conference Events

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