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Love as a Fictitious Commodity: Gift-for-Sex Barters as Contractual Carriers of Intimacy

Swader, Christopher LU ; Strelkova, Olga ; Sutormina, Alyona ; Syomina, Victoria ; Vysotskaya, Volha and Fedorova, Irina (2013) In Sexuality & Culture 17(4). p.598-616
Abstract
Gift-for-sex (GFS) barters are a niche practice potentially representing the commodification of everyday dating practices. We inquire how GFS exchanges are practiced and understood in contemporary Russia. Second, we situate these in relation to contemporary economic culture. Our project provides answers in two

steps based on online content. First, we identify GFS exchange practices within a major dating website. Next, we take the signals exchanged in those dating profiles and display their intersubjective meanings in Russia based on blogs and discussion fora. Our analysis focuses on gender roles and inter-gender conflicts, the use of

economic jargon, the link between luxury consumption and sexuality, and understandings of... (More)
Gift-for-sex (GFS) barters are a niche practice potentially representing the commodification of everyday dating practices. We inquire how GFS exchanges are practiced and understood in contemporary Russia. Second, we situate these in relation to contemporary economic culture. Our project provides answers in two

steps based on online content. First, we identify GFS exchange practices within a major dating website. Next, we take the signals exchanged in those dating profiles and display their intersubjective meanings in Russia based on blogs and discussion fora. Our analysis focuses on gender roles and inter-gender conflicts, the use of

economic jargon, the link between luxury consumption and sexuality, and understandings of gift-giving and generosity, in order to show how GFS barters, despite being contractual, carry emotional and romantic content. As such, love is under a constant conversion process, through the medium of the contractual gift, into the

fictitious commodity form. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Compensated dating, Fictitious commodification, Gift-exchange, Post-socialist transformation, Economic jargon, Sexuality
in
Sexuality & Culture
volume
17
issue
4
pages
598 - 616
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:84885908785
ISSN
1936-4822
DOI
10.1007/s12119-012-9162-1
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
fac4b7e2-a757-4019-babc-f90cbc92666b (old id 5142017)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 11:36:15
date last changed
2022-03-23 17:48:39
@article{fac4b7e2-a757-4019-babc-f90cbc92666b,
  abstract     = {{Gift-for-sex (GFS) barters are a niche practice potentially representing the commodification of everyday dating practices. We inquire how GFS exchanges are practiced and understood in contemporary Russia. Second, we situate these in relation to contemporary economic culture. Our project provides answers in two<br/><br>
steps based on online content. First, we identify GFS exchange practices within a major dating website. Next, we take the signals exchanged in those dating profiles and display their intersubjective meanings in Russia based on blogs and discussion fora. Our analysis focuses on gender roles and inter-gender conflicts, the use of<br/><br>
economic jargon, the link between luxury consumption and sexuality, and understandings of gift-giving and generosity, in order to show how GFS barters, despite being contractual, carry emotional and romantic content. As such, love is under a constant conversion process, through the medium of the contractual gift, into the<br/><br>
fictitious commodity form.}},
  author       = {{Swader, Christopher and Strelkova, Olga and Sutormina, Alyona and Syomina, Victoria and Vysotskaya, Volha and Fedorova, Irina}},
  issn         = {{1936-4822}},
  keywords     = {{Compensated dating; Fictitious commodification; Gift-exchange; Post-socialist transformation; Economic jargon; Sexuality}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{598--616}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Sexuality & Culture}},
  title        = {{Love as a Fictitious Commodity: Gift-for-Sex Barters as Contractual Carriers of Intimacy}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12119-012-9162-1}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s12119-012-9162-1}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}