The Michigan 10 Institute for the Humanities

Ghosting, "an unexpected social disconnection between people, often in the context of an intimate relationship," is a prevalent phenomenon among college students today. In Part 2 of our conversation with Professor Allison Alexy, she talks about how ghosting extends beyond romantic relationships and is reflective of The Great Resignation in America today. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, check that out first before tuning into this episode! If you would like to learn more about ghosting and the information from this episode, please see below for a few article recommendations.

Allison Alexy is an associate professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan. She is a cultural anthropologist focused on contemporary Japan. Through the lens of family life, her ethnographic research investigates changing norms for romantic relationships and legal constructions of intimacy contextualized within the rapid societal changes in recent decades. Her first monograph, Intimate Disconnections: Divorce and the Romance of Independence in Contemporary Japan, was published through open access and has recently been released in Japanese and Chinese translations. She has co-edited Home and Family in Japan and Intimate Japan (which is also available open access), and is the editor for the Asia Pop! series from the University of Hawai’i Press. She is working on a book now about parental abduction in Japan and has started a new project about ghosting in the US.

Ghosting, "an unexpected social disconnection between people, often in the context of an intimate relationship," is a prevalent phenomenon among college students today. Indeed, the invention of "block" buttons has made disappearing and ceasing all forms of communication effortless and accessible to all. But is it true that ghosting has made ending relationships less painful? What does ghosting say about how Americans perceive intimacies today? This week, Lola sat down with Professor Allison Alexy to explore the gender politics, and what she calls "the labor of disconnection" involved with ghosting. If you are a "ghoster" or a "ghostee," make sure to check out this episode and subscribe for Part 2!



Allison Alexy is an associate professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan. She is a cultural anthropologist focused on contemporary Japan. Through the lens of family life, her ethnographic research investigates changing norms for romantic relationships and legal constructions of intimacy contextualized within the rapid societal changes in recent decades. Her first monograph, Intimate Disconnections: Divorce and the Romance of Independence in Contemporary Japan, was published through open access and has recently been released in Japanese and Chinese translations. She has co-edited Home and Family in Japan and Intimate Japan (which is also available open access), and is the editor for the Asia Pop! series from the University of Hawai’i Press. She is working on a book now about parental abduction in Japan and has started a new project about ghosting in the US.

Correction: During their introductions, Isabel and Lola refereed to themselves as "Public Humanities Fellows." Their correct titles should be "Public Humanities Interns."