Mariya Stoilova | London School of Economics and Political Science (original) (raw)
Papers by Mariya Stoilova
Whilst the politics of reproduction have been at the heart of feminist struggles for over a centu... more Whilst the politics of reproduction have been at the heart of feminist struggles for over a century and a half, their analysis has not yet come to occupy a central place in the interdisciplinary study of citizenship. This volume takes up the challenge posed by Bryan Turner, when he noted "the absence of any systematic thinking about familial relations, reproduction and citizenship" (2008), and offers the first major global collection of work exploring this nexus of practices and political contestations.
The book brings together citizenship scholars from across Europe, the Americas, and Australia to develop feminist and queer analyses of the relationship between citizenship and reproduction, and to explore the ways in which citizenship is reproduced. Extending the foundational work of feminist political theorists and sociologists who have interrogated the public/private dichotomy on which traditional civic republican and liberal understandings of citizenship rest, the contributors examine the biological, sexual, and technological realities of natality, and the social realities of the intimate intergenerational material and affective labour that are generative of citizens, and that serve to reproduce membership of, and belonging to, states, nations, societies, and thus of "citizenship" itself.
This book was published as a special issue of Citizenship Studies.
Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law, 2012
De-centring Western Sexualities: Central and Eastern European perspectives, 2011
Drawing on a European cross-national biographical-narrative study of intimate life, this article ... more Drawing on a European cross-national biographical-narrative study of intimate life, this article discusses the complexity of experiences of ‘togetherness’ and ‘apartness’ amongst people in
living apart relationships. We explore the five main ways in which interviewees spoke about and understood their current living apart relationships (as: chosen; temporary; transitional; undecided; and unrecognisable), which we argue shows the need for a broader conceptualisation of this form of
intimate relationship than is suggested by the established notion of ‘living apart together’. The article points to interviewees’ varying experiences of receiving or being denied recognition and acceptance by others as belonging to a couple, as well as to their differing degrees of desire for, or rebellion
against, expectations that living apart relationships should ‘progress’ towards cohabitation.
This paper examines how people living apart together (LATs) maintain their relationships, and des... more This paper examines how people living apart together (LATs) maintain their relationships, and describes how they view this living arrangement. It draws on a 2011 survey on LAT in Britain, supplemented by qualitative interviewing. Most LATs in Britain live close to their partners, and have frequent contact with them. At the same time most see LAT in terms of a monogamous, committed couple, where marriage remains a strong normative reference point, and see living apart as not much different from co-residence in terms of risk, emotional security or closeness. Many see themselves living together in the future. However, LAT does appear to make difference to patterns of care between partners. In addition, LATs report advantages in terms of autonomy and flexibility. The paper concludes that LAT allows individuals some freedom to manoeuvre in balancing the demands of life circumstances and personal needs with those of an intimate relationship, but that practices of LAT do not, in general, represent a radical departure from the norms of contemporary coupledom, except for that which expects couples to cohabit.
Drawing on a European cross-national biographical-narrative study of intimate life, this paper di... more Drawing on a European cross-national biographical-narrative study of intimate life, this paper discusses the complexity of experiences of “togetherness” and “apartness” amongst people in living apart relationships. We explore the five main ways in which interviewees spoke about and understood their current living apart relationships (as chosen; temporary; transitional; undecided; and unrecognizable), which we argue suggests the need for a broader conceptualisation of this form of intimate relationship than is suggested by the established notion of “living apart together”. The paper points to the varying experiences of receiving or being denied recognition and acceptance by others as belonging to a couple, as well as to the differing degrees of desire for, or rebellion against, expectations that living apart relationships should “progress” towards cohabitation.
The Sociology Teacher, Vol 3 (1): 5-11
Citizenship Studies, Vol. 17(8): 901–911, Dec 19, 2013
Whilst the politics of reproduction have been at the heart of feminist struggles for over a centu... more Whilst the politics of reproduction have been at the heart of feminist struggles for over a century and a half, their analysis has not yet come to occupy a central place in the interdisciplinary study of citizenship. This special issue on Citizenship and Reproduction/ Reproducing Citizens takes up the challenge posed by Bryan Turner in the pages of this journal, when he noted ‘the absence of any systematic thinking about familial relations, reproduction and citizenship’ (Turner 2008, p. 45). However, we take issue with this claim, and argue that there is now a substantial body of scholarship that explores this nexus of practices and political contestations. Nonetheless, Turner is rare amongst ‘mainstream’citizenship scholars working outside feminist or queer frameworks in paying explicit attention to reproduction. Despite the powerful challenges posed by theorists such as Carole Pateman (1988, 1989, 1992), Ruth Lister (1997) and Nira Yuval-Davis (1997) to traditional civic republican and liberal understandings of citizenship that rest on an uninterrogated public/private dichotomy, the complex entanglements and gendered valencies of ‘public’ and ‘private’, ‘political’ and ‘personal’, ‘rational’ and ‘emotional’, and ‘mind’and ‘body’ in constructions and practices of citizenship have been almost exclusively the critical terrain of feminist and queer scholars. And so, the biological, sexual and technological realities of natality, and the social realities of the intimate intergenerational material and affective labour that is generative of citizens, and that serve to reproduce membership of, and belonging to, states, nations, societies and, thus of ‘citizenship’ itself, have largely remained marginal to ‘citizenship studies’…
International Journal of Social Research Methodology, Nov 13, 2013
This research note aims to extend the discussion on the methodological implications of doing rese... more This research note aims to extend the discussion on the methodological implications of doing research on intimacy and personal life. Drawing on a comparative study concerned with the intimate lives of those who live outside the conventional, modern western nuclear family, it reflects on the processes of gaining access to often hard-to-reach populations which informed and influenced the empirical work that we carried out in four European countries.
Interpretations of living apart together (LAT) have typically counter-posed ‘new family form’ ver... more Interpretations of living apart together (LAT) have typically counter-posed ‘new family form’ versus
‘continuist’ perspectives. Recent surveys, however, construct LAT as a heterogeneous category
that supports a ‘qualified continuist’ position – most people live apart as a response to practical
circumstances or as a modern version of ‘boy/girlfriend’, although a minority represents something
new in preferring to live apart more permanently. This article interrogates this conclusion by
examining in depth why people live apart together, using a nationally representative survey from
Britain and interview accounts from 2011. Our analysis shows that LAT as a category contains
different sorts of relationship, with different needs and desires. While overall coupledom remains
pivotal and cohabitation remains the goal for most, LAT allows people flexibility and room to
manoeuvre in adapting couple intimacy to the demands of contemporary life. Hence, we suggest,
LAT is both ‘new’ and a ‘continuation’.
Living Apart Together: uncoupling intimacy and co-residence, Apr 23, 2013
Over a fifth of those normally classified as “single” are actually in a relationship but not livi... more Over a fifth of those normally classified as “single” are actually in a relationship but not living with their partner – which is 9% of adults in Britain. This sizeable minority has only recently been recognized by social researchers, even though people have long been having relationships without moving in together. In the context of increasing attention to the diversity of ways in which people live and love outside the conventional family, understanding “living apart together” (LAT) relationships is vital for policy-makers, practitioners and researchers who are concerned with couples, families, and individual well-being today.
This briefing paper presents the findings of the most comprehensive study of living apart together in Britain to date.
About 10% of adults in Britain have a living apart together (LAT) relationship; they are nearly a... more About 10% of adults in Britain have a living apart together (LAT) relationship; they are nearly always administratively and legally defined as single but in fact they have a partner who lives elsewhere. The question then arises, should LAT couples have access to legal rights and protection in the same way as proposed (in Britain) or achieved (in other jurisdictions) for unmarried cohabitants? Using both a national survey and in-depth interviews, we find that a significant proportion of LAT partners extend substantial levels of care and support both to each other and, if relevant, to their partners' dependent children. For other LAT partners levels of support are lower, or even absent. Similarly, about a third of our interviewees thought LAT relationships should have given legal rights, a third thought these should depend on circumstances, while the final third were opposed to any extension of legal rights or thought this unnecessary. A number of overarching themes surrounded this issue in interviewees' narratives - the presence of children, the existence of commitment, the longevity of the relationship, the logistics of organising a legal system, and the possibility that some might take advantage. We suggest that ‘opt-in’ legal provisions could provide a model for any extension of legal rights to LAT relationships in the UK.
Whilst the politics of reproduction have been at the heart of feminist struggles for over a centu... more Whilst the politics of reproduction have been at the heart of feminist struggles for over a century and a half, their analysis has not yet come to occupy a central place in the interdisciplinary study of citizenship. This volume takes up the challenge posed by Bryan Turner, when he noted "the absence of any systematic thinking about familial relations, reproduction and citizenship" (2008), and offers the first major global collection of work exploring this nexus of practices and political contestations.
The book brings together citizenship scholars from across Europe, the Americas, and Australia to develop feminist and queer analyses of the relationship between citizenship and reproduction, and to explore the ways in which citizenship is reproduced. Extending the foundational work of feminist political theorists and sociologists who have interrogated the public/private dichotomy on which traditional civic republican and liberal understandings of citizenship rest, the contributors examine the biological, sexual, and technological realities of natality, and the social realities of the intimate intergenerational material and affective labour that are generative of citizens, and that serve to reproduce membership of, and belonging to, states, nations, societies, and thus of "citizenship" itself.
This book was published as a special issue of Citizenship Studies.
Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law, 2012
De-centring Western Sexualities: Central and Eastern European perspectives, 2011
Drawing on a European cross-national biographical-narrative study of intimate life, this article ... more Drawing on a European cross-national biographical-narrative study of intimate life, this article discusses the complexity of experiences of ‘togetherness’ and ‘apartness’ amongst people in
living apart relationships. We explore the five main ways in which interviewees spoke about and understood their current living apart relationships (as: chosen; temporary; transitional; undecided; and unrecognisable), which we argue shows the need for a broader conceptualisation of this form of
intimate relationship than is suggested by the established notion of ‘living apart together’. The article points to interviewees’ varying experiences of receiving or being denied recognition and acceptance by others as belonging to a couple, as well as to their differing degrees of desire for, or rebellion
against, expectations that living apart relationships should ‘progress’ towards cohabitation.
This paper examines how people living apart together (LATs) maintain their relationships, and des... more This paper examines how people living apart together (LATs) maintain their relationships, and describes how they view this living arrangement. It draws on a 2011 survey on LAT in Britain, supplemented by qualitative interviewing. Most LATs in Britain live close to their partners, and have frequent contact with them. At the same time most see LAT in terms of a monogamous, committed couple, where marriage remains a strong normative reference point, and see living apart as not much different from co-residence in terms of risk, emotional security or closeness. Many see themselves living together in the future. However, LAT does appear to make difference to patterns of care between partners. In addition, LATs report advantages in terms of autonomy and flexibility. The paper concludes that LAT allows individuals some freedom to manoeuvre in balancing the demands of life circumstances and personal needs with those of an intimate relationship, but that practices of LAT do not, in general, represent a radical departure from the norms of contemporary coupledom, except for that which expects couples to cohabit.
Drawing on a European cross-national biographical-narrative study of intimate life, this paper di... more Drawing on a European cross-national biographical-narrative study of intimate life, this paper discusses the complexity of experiences of “togetherness” and “apartness” amongst people in living apart relationships. We explore the five main ways in which interviewees spoke about and understood their current living apart relationships (as chosen; temporary; transitional; undecided; and unrecognizable), which we argue suggests the need for a broader conceptualisation of this form of intimate relationship than is suggested by the established notion of “living apart together”. The paper points to the varying experiences of receiving or being denied recognition and acceptance by others as belonging to a couple, as well as to the differing degrees of desire for, or rebellion against, expectations that living apart relationships should “progress” towards cohabitation.
The Sociology Teacher, Vol 3 (1): 5-11
Citizenship Studies, Vol. 17(8): 901–911, Dec 19, 2013
Whilst the politics of reproduction have been at the heart of feminist struggles for over a centu... more Whilst the politics of reproduction have been at the heart of feminist struggles for over a century and a half, their analysis has not yet come to occupy a central place in the interdisciplinary study of citizenship. This special issue on Citizenship and Reproduction/ Reproducing Citizens takes up the challenge posed by Bryan Turner in the pages of this journal, when he noted ‘the absence of any systematic thinking about familial relations, reproduction and citizenship’ (Turner 2008, p. 45). However, we take issue with this claim, and argue that there is now a substantial body of scholarship that explores this nexus of practices and political contestations. Nonetheless, Turner is rare amongst ‘mainstream’citizenship scholars working outside feminist or queer frameworks in paying explicit attention to reproduction. Despite the powerful challenges posed by theorists such as Carole Pateman (1988, 1989, 1992), Ruth Lister (1997) and Nira Yuval-Davis (1997) to traditional civic republican and liberal understandings of citizenship that rest on an uninterrogated public/private dichotomy, the complex entanglements and gendered valencies of ‘public’ and ‘private’, ‘political’ and ‘personal’, ‘rational’ and ‘emotional’, and ‘mind’and ‘body’ in constructions and practices of citizenship have been almost exclusively the critical terrain of feminist and queer scholars. And so, the biological, sexual and technological realities of natality, and the social realities of the intimate intergenerational material and affective labour that is generative of citizens, and that serve to reproduce membership of, and belonging to, states, nations, societies and, thus of ‘citizenship’ itself, have largely remained marginal to ‘citizenship studies’…
International Journal of Social Research Methodology, Nov 13, 2013
This research note aims to extend the discussion on the methodological implications of doing rese... more This research note aims to extend the discussion on the methodological implications of doing research on intimacy and personal life. Drawing on a comparative study concerned with the intimate lives of those who live outside the conventional, modern western nuclear family, it reflects on the processes of gaining access to often hard-to-reach populations which informed and influenced the empirical work that we carried out in four European countries.
Interpretations of living apart together (LAT) have typically counter-posed ‘new family form’ ver... more Interpretations of living apart together (LAT) have typically counter-posed ‘new family form’ versus
‘continuist’ perspectives. Recent surveys, however, construct LAT as a heterogeneous category
that supports a ‘qualified continuist’ position – most people live apart as a response to practical
circumstances or as a modern version of ‘boy/girlfriend’, although a minority represents something
new in preferring to live apart more permanently. This article interrogates this conclusion by
examining in depth why people live apart together, using a nationally representative survey from
Britain and interview accounts from 2011. Our analysis shows that LAT as a category contains
different sorts of relationship, with different needs and desires. While overall coupledom remains
pivotal and cohabitation remains the goal for most, LAT allows people flexibility and room to
manoeuvre in adapting couple intimacy to the demands of contemporary life. Hence, we suggest,
LAT is both ‘new’ and a ‘continuation’.
Living Apart Together: uncoupling intimacy and co-residence, Apr 23, 2013
Over a fifth of those normally classified as “single” are actually in a relationship but not livi... more Over a fifth of those normally classified as “single” are actually in a relationship but not living with their partner – which is 9% of adults in Britain. This sizeable minority has only recently been recognized by social researchers, even though people have long been having relationships without moving in together. In the context of increasing attention to the diversity of ways in which people live and love outside the conventional family, understanding “living apart together” (LAT) relationships is vital for policy-makers, practitioners and researchers who are concerned with couples, families, and individual well-being today.
This briefing paper presents the findings of the most comprehensive study of living apart together in Britain to date.
About 10% of adults in Britain have a living apart together (LAT) relationship; they are nearly a... more About 10% of adults in Britain have a living apart together (LAT) relationship; they are nearly always administratively and legally defined as single but in fact they have a partner who lives elsewhere. The question then arises, should LAT couples have access to legal rights and protection in the same way as proposed (in Britain) or achieved (in other jurisdictions) for unmarried cohabitants? Using both a national survey and in-depth interviews, we find that a significant proportion of LAT partners extend substantial levels of care and support both to each other and, if relevant, to their partners' dependent children. For other LAT partners levels of support are lower, or even absent. Similarly, about a third of our interviewees thought LAT relationships should have given legal rights, a third thought these should depend on circumstances, while the final third were opposed to any extension of legal rights or thought this unnecessary. A number of overarching themes surrounded this issue in interviewees' narratives - the presence of children, the existence of commitment, the longevity of the relationship, the logistics of organising a legal system, and the possibility that some might take advantage. We suggest that ‘opt-in’ legal provisions could provide a model for any extension of legal rights to LAT relationships in the UK.