Ageing and new intimacies : Gender, sexuality and temporality in an English salsa scene

Drawing on ethnographic research in salsa classes and oral histories this book details the everyday practices of femininity, heterosexuality and ‘new’ intimacies among women in midlife. Challenging conventional notions of the baby boomers it draws attention to how these practices are classed and raced, emphasising the quest for ‘respectability’. -- .

This book examines the romantic and intimate lives of the baby boom generation, often portrayed as pioneers of new ways of relating and family-making. As this cohort enters mid and later life, it is frequently claimed they are redefining ageing itself. Drawing on sensory ethnography in salsa classes and life-history interviews, the book explores women’s experiences of desire, romance, and renewed intimacies in midlife. Beginning with women at moments of transition—newly single or newly dating—it looks back over earlier relationships and forward to hopes for future connections. Their navigation of romance reveals the sensory and affective dimensions of heteronormativity and the gendered practices shaped by memory, generational expectations, and class. Challenging assumptions about baby boomers, the book highlights intersections of age, class, and white normativity, offering new insights into ageing, intimacy, and generation. -- .