Presentation of the DIJUS (Interdisciplinary Dialogues about Justice) project

This is a seminar programme about the relationships of (mis)understanding between legal discourse and other sciences' discourse(s). At the end of the Project, through the content analysis of these recorded dialogues, we intend to analyse the convergence and divergences of knowledge sets, discourses and the way how they are "translated" and used in hiding/showing facts and building a truth that is comprehended and acknowledged by the legal system.

The second edition of this Research Project/Seminar Programme, which started in 2008/2009, consists on six seminars, to be held until the end of 2011, with the participation of professionals and researcher from distinct knowledge fields related to justice administration, from medicine to management sciences, psychiatry and psychology to social service.

Abstract of the 5th seminar

The family domain always was and continues to be considered as a privileged instance of patriarchal relations, as the focus point of a set of oppressive practices and inequalities. During the last 30 years, Family Law changed/was changed in order to meet the constitutionalization, internationalization and universilization of equality of rights between men and women and the socioeconomic, demographic and family changes.

In this seminar, we intend to discuss to what extent can Law and, in particular, Family Law be an instrument of equality promotion and an efficient resource to gender equality. In other words, can the standard be emancipatory or reproductive of the present status quo, meaning, the domination of patriarchal relations. We also intend to discuss the way how the law reflects or not gender stereotypes, contributing to the production and reproduction of gender inequalities, i.e. we intend to explore the notion of distance between formal equality (law in books) and informal discrimination (law in action). In conclusion, we intend to discuss how the academic and professional training of Law professionals is aware of gender issues and how it contributes or not to strengthening gender inequalities.

Each speaker will make an initial communication of 20 minutes, followed by a debate session between them and the public.

Speakers

Teresa Bravo, Judge at the Labour Court of Lisbon

Sílvia Portugal– Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies – Family Sociology

Chair – João Pedroso (CES)

Discussant – Paula Casaleiro (CES)