Expressions of interest are invited for contributions to an edited collection on Friendship in Troubled Times: Social, Cultural and Political Perspectives, following an approach by a reputable academic press.

The collection examines dyadic, ‘intimate friendship’ (Blatterer) in relation to the social, cultural and political conditions in which it is formed, maintained — or lost.

‘Troubled times’ is understood both contemporaneously and historically, and broadly in relation to the disruptions and uncertainties associated with modernity. Empirical instances may include, and are not limited to, war, authoritarianism (political and organizational), social and protest movements, privacy, migration and displacement, economic crisis, inequality and precarity, transformations in the gender order, pandemics, social acceleration, digitalisation and AI.

The collection starts from two interrelated characteristics of friendship: its comparative ‘institutional deficit’ (Blatterer) and its cultural meaning as a relationship entered into and maintained for its own sake. As has been argued, this institutional position and non-instrumental quality make friendship particularly well placed to subvert conventions and norms.

Contributions are invited that substantiate or challenge these claims in the context of ‘troubled times.

Chapters that work with non-Western models of dyadic friendship are particularly welcome as potential counterparts to the presumed universality of friendship’s non-instrumentality.

Authors are invited to examine particular friendships as encountered in a range of sources, including qualitative empirical research, biographies and autobiographies, literary fiction, historical research, etc. 

The collection is currently being developed as a book proposal. At this stage, brief (200 word) expressions of interest are sought outlining a proposed chapter topic and approach. 

Chapters may be theoretical or empirical but should retain a clear focus on friendship as a personal dyadic  relationship, rather than using ‘friendship’ as a synonym for solidarity, alliance or collective affiliation.

Please send your Expression of Interest via the contact form below by 1 November 2026.