‘Family laws around the world generally confine the legal recognition of voluntary relationships between adults to formations fitting the mould of the ‘Sexual Family’: a cohabiting sexual couple not related by blood or law. Personal life nonetheless comprises various queer formations which do not meet the standards of cohabitation (e.g. LAT-relationships, friendship), dyad (e.g. polyamory) or sexuality (e.g. co-housing of related or unrelated adults). Those formations remain invisible before the law and are not recognized substantively or symbolically. Whereas queer approaches have been proposed from both social theoretical, empirical and legal perspectives, those proposals generally remain empirically uninformed on the legal consciousness, practices and expectations of the adults concerned. Possible socio-legal methods strategies to gain insight in, and theorize on, the desirable legal protection beyond the couple will be discussed during this seminar. This Seminar aims at active participation from socio-legal scholars, some of which will present their own experiences after the introductory paper.’
Date: 26th April 2017, 1.00-2.30
Location: Birkbeck, University of London. Room 101, 30 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DQ
Charge: free, booking required
More information can be found here.
