Romantic Love in Cultural Contexts

Dr. Victor Karandashev taught in Russian universities for many years and has published three textbooks for psychology courses. In the late 1990s and 2000s, he conducted research on international psychology in several European countries, including universities in Norway, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, the UK, as well as was a visiting professor and a Fulbright Scholar in the U.S.A. He co-edited three volumes of Teaching Psychology Around the World (2007, 2009, 2012). He has presented his work related to international and cross-cultural psychology at several national and international conferences. During recent years he was actively engaged in the study of romantic love and has had several publications on the topic. Currently he works as Professor of Psychology at Aquinas College, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

• Foreword by Elaine Hatfield.- Part I. Romantic love: Conceptualizations and approaches.- Chapter 1. The concept of romantic love.- Chapter 2. Cultural and interdisciplinary approaches to romantic love.- Part II. Historical and cultural perspectives on romantic love.- Chapter 3. The Ancients Were Open to Love.- Chapter 4. Love in the Pre-Medieval and Medieval Era.- Chapter 5. Further Developments of Romantic Love in the 16th through 19th Centuries.- Chapter 6. Love during the 19th and early 20th Centuries.- Part III. Modern Love Around the World.- Chapter 7. Love in Modern America and Europe.- Chapter 8. Romantic Love in the Arab World.- Chapter 9. Love in South Asia.- Chapter 10. Love in Latin America.- Chapter 11. Love in Modern Australia and among the Indigenous People of Australia, Polynesia, and Southeast Asia.- Chapter 12. Marriage and Love inAfrica in the 20th Century.- Chapter 13. Romantic Love in China.- Chapter 14 Romantic love and culture: Reviewing past and looking forward.- References.

“Karandashev (psychology, Aquinas College) attempts to examine the concept of “romantic love” throughout history and across many world cultures. … it will no doubt compel many readers to consult the extensive bibliography and venture where their academic interest in love may take them! Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, faculty.” (J. R. Mitrano, Choice, Vol. 54 (12), August, 2017)“This unique text combines historical, sociological, anthropological, and psychological data to answer, ‘What does romantic love look like to different people and cultures across time and geographies?’ … this book is an impressive and refreshing read for anyone interested in an interdisciplinary and inclusive look at ‘romantic love.’ … This text may be used to answer historical questions and generate inclusive research questions moving forward.” (Katheryn L. B. Votaw, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 62 (18), May, 2017)