Book review: Intimate Citizenship

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of our Department of Sociology, now named the Department of Sociology and Criminology, we are publishing a short blogpost series on books published by members of the Department. The series showcases the diverse and rich research legacy and traces an engaging history of the Department.

Intimate Citizenship: Private Decisions and Public Dialogues
by Professor Ken Plummer

It is the Autumn term of 1997, and I am an undergraduate student at the University of Essex studying Sociology. I am sitting in one of the LTB lecture halls amongst a large cohort of students attending lectures on the Sociological Imagination. The lecturer always taught with wit, warmth, and charisma. Each lecture created an inquisitive atmosphere, inspired thought-provoking questions, challenged initial assumptions through storytelling, and concluded with unique optimism, encouraging us to create a better world. At the time, this lecturer was a significant person in my life because he was the first openly gay educator and academic as Section 28 was still in full force within the education sector. Section 28 (1988-2003) was a law enforced by the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, which prohibited “promoting the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretend family relationship” by local authorities, which included schools. For the first time, I could see and discuss one of my core identities - being queer - within an educational space. That person, role model, and inspiration to me and many others was the late, international, distinguished scholar: Professor Ken Plummer. 

Professor Ken Plummer was known internationally for both his activism, having played a significant role in the London Gay Liberation Front (GLF), alongside his much-respected research, having written extensively on topics related to sexuality, symbolic interactionism, critical humanism, and the development of narrative life stories. Although Ken published more than 170 articles and books, there is one specific publication I wish to discuss which continues to have an impact today. 

Intimate Citizenship: Private Decisions and Public Dialogues (2003) was published during a poignant time for queer activism and the work acts as an exemplar for ground-breaking exploration of the myriad of topics it addressed. In 2003, I became a qualified teacher, and Ken Plummer’s drive to challenge the status quo helped pave the way for me to be confident in being open about my sexuality within the 11-19 Education Sector. What was a personal decision for me to be open around my sexuality identity was simultaneously playing out as the content of a public debate, intersecting with the actions of the state and the eventual repeal of Section 28.  

Intimate Citizenship was, according to Ken, a “work in progress” (2003: 139) that became ubiquitous by providing a fresh perspective and understanding on personal matters and challenging traditional norms. It offers tools for reimagining intimacy, by exploring the destabilising of the public and private divide. Within the context of the 21st century and globalisation, intimacies become part of public conversations, practices, and broader societal structures. As a result, new forms of intimacy result in new conflicts and challenges (referred to as ‘intimate troubles’ in the book).

The book raises questions around how private decisions of today become entangled with public institutions such as the media, legal system, and education. Ken’s examples highlight the shifting landscape of intimacies, and include the value of one-person households, choosing to raise children alone with the help of new reproductive technologies, and technical advancements impacting the sex industry (such as cybersex). Examples involve evolving norms around femininity, masculinity, workplace sexual regulations, and debating these intimacies in global media, including talk shows such as Jerry Springer and The Vanessa Show. Ken Plummer’s work provides a somewhat optimistic lens around greater individualism and agency, whilst not entirely ignoring the ‘troubles’ (dilemmas and conflicts) that such a lens may encounter. The book then proposes a new understanding of citizenship, one that bridges the public and private spheres, and inhabits a greater acceptance of diversity within a globalised context. 

It is important to note that the book not only considers a new way of exploring intimacies through theoretical analysis, but, true to form from a symbolic interactionist, Ken also emphasises the importance of listening to stories as a methodological tool to explore the complex and contested public sphere regarding how one does/should live our lives. This use of narratives can be seen in his future work Pioneering Social Research: Life Histories of a Generation. 

Whilst the book was published 21 years ago, and some critics wondered whether Ken’s work on Intimate Citizenship might become outdated due to the rapid nature and changes in policies, it continues to fuel debate for future projects. Recent topics explored in the last 12 months can be found in the book Consent: Gender, Power and Subjectivity edited by Dr Laurie James-Hawkins and Professor Róisín Ryan-Flood. This book delves into various aspects around consent, including a chapter on sadomasochism (SM). Whilst the practice has become more acceptable in society, visibly supported by popular media (films such as 50 Shades of Grey), consensual BDSM remains criminalised. Further discussions within the book include Professor Ryan-Flood’s chapter on ‘Donor Conception, Anonymity and Rights’. Ryan-Flood explores how social media enables people to uncover donor identities before pertinent legalisation changes in 2005. Ryan-Flood’s work highlights the interplay between medical, legal, ethical, and social regulations surrounding donor identity. More recently debates involving the bridging between the private and public have surged amongst politicians and pressure groups regarding non-conforming gender identities in education. Teachers, for the first time in 20 years, are expected to include LGBTQ+ identities as part of Relationships Education, and there continues a debate surrounding the lifting of the two-child benefit cap imposed in the UK. These contemporary debates, involving intimate issues requiring equally explicit political and public action, address Ken’s critics’ concern that the book might ever become outdated. 

Let me conclude with a quote from Ken: ‘There can be no turning back the clock. We are at a moment in history when the changes underway offer us the potential to create new ethical ways of living’ (p. 49). I would like to emphasise that Intimate Citizenship, along with Ken Plummer’s prevailing, pioneering and esteemed body of work, encourages us to develop novel perspectives alongside a nuanced understanding of the changing world we live in – Thank you Ken!

by EJ-Francis Caris-Hamer

December 2024

• Essex Sociology celebrates 60 years