Strangers and Intimates : The Rise and Fall of Private Life by Tiffany Jenkins

From ancient times to our digital present, Strangers and Intimates traces the dramatic emergence of private life, and argues that it is now in mortal danger. In this sweeping history, acclaimed cultural historian Tiffany Jenkins takes readers on an epic journey, from the strict separations of public and private in ancient Athens to the moral rigidity of the Victorian home, and from the feminists of the 1970s – who declared that ‘the personal is political’ – to the boundary-blurring demands of our digital age. Strangers and Intimates is both a celebration of the private realm and a warning: as social media, surveillance and the expectations of constant openness reshape our lives, Jenkins asks a timely question: can private life survive the demands of the twenty-first century?

An Economist Book of the Year'An intricate cultural history . . .Thought-provoking’ – The Sunday Times'Brilliantly original . . .Endlessly fascinating’ – Alice Loxton, author of Eighteen'Lucid and elegant’ – The Daily Telegraph

Format:Paperback / softback 464 pages
Publisher:Pan Macmillan
Imprint:Picador
ISBN:9781529034189
Published:14 May 2026
Classifications:Social & cultural history, History of ideas, Social issues & processes, Sociology, Ethical & social aspects of IT
Weight:314g