University of Toronto, Faculty of law
Feminism & Law Workshop Series
presents
Carol Smart
Co-Director, The Morgan Centre for the Study of Relationships and Personal Life,
School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester
Family Secrets: Law and Understandings of Openness in Everyday Relationships
Monday, November 3, 2008
12:30 – 2:00
Solarium, Falconer Hall
Faculty of Law, University of Toronto
84 Queen’s Park
Abstract: Uncovering old or historical family secrets has become an enjoyable pastime yet in contemporary families the keeping of secrets, especially those relating to reproduction and paternity, is seen increasingly as undesirable. This paper explores these issues and the growing tendency for family law and policy to favour exposing genetic truths - seeing this form of scientific veracity as crucial to child welfare and equality. The paper explores the changing contexts of family secrets (using data drawn from the Mass Observation Archive) and seeks to locate these secrets in their cultural and historical context. An argument against imposing a simple solution (in the form of genetic truth) onto complex relationships is pursued.
Bio: Carol studied sociology at Portsmouth Polytechnic (now University) before going on to get her MA in Criminology at Sheffield University and her PhD in Socio-Legal Studies also at Sheffield in 1983. Before coming to Manchester in 2005 she was Professor of Sociology at the University of Leeds (from 1992) and before that she was Lecturer and then Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Warwick (1985-92). She is currently Co-Director of the Morgan Centre for the Study of Relationships and Personal Life at Manchester.
Carol's main interest over recent years has been family life and intimacy and the ways in which people conduct their personal lives. She has carried out research on divorce and/or separation and how this affects couples, children and wider kin; she has also focused on high conflict and how people can become enmeshed in protracted and negative relationships. Currently she is writing up the results of a project on gay and lesbian civil partnership and commitment ceremonies. Almost of her research has had a socio-legal angle to it as well as a more straightforward sociological perspective. This reflects Carol's longstanding interest in how law influences personal lives and also how and why law is seen as a solution to personal dilemmas. Other recent research projects include a study on transnational families (with a focus on Pakistani, Indian and Irish families) and on intergenerational family life.
A light lunch will be served.
For more workshop information, please contact Nadia Gulezko at n.gulezko@utoronto.ca
