Dutch Ministry of Education Research Funding for: "Rethinking the Conceptual Divide Between Intimate Lives and Legal Systems for Sociolegal Justice. (PI Dr. Luisa T. Schneider)

RE-RELATING aims to establish a desire-driven, democratic research agenda focused on people’s experiences within and on legal systems across different societal contexts. To grasp the intricacies of how people experience and navigate inequality within sociolegal realms, it is imperative to view those impacted as integral components of intimate networks rather than solely as isolated individuals. Acknowledging law as a pervasive framework governing behavior and administering punishment, we recognize its creation and enforcement by social actors. This interaction between law, social dynamics and intimate worlds not only perpetuates existing hierarchies and inequalities but also holds potential for transformative change towards more equitable futures. While existing research extensively explores the impact of law on (in)equalities pertaining to class, race, or gender, this project seeks to underscore the significance of intimate lives within legal contexts. Although the domestic arena, home, family and private life are typically regarded as distinct domains from law, an individual's background and circumstances shape imagined perceptions of their identity and personhood, significantly influencing their interactions with and impact on legal systems. Based on anthropological research in different contexts RE-RELATING explores 1.)How does someone’s intimate background and circumstances influence their access to legal systems, the treatment they receive, and the outcomes of legal proceedings?2.)What strategies do groups and networks employ to navigate discursive actual and potential contact with the law and its institutions based on such imagined images?3.)In what ways do groups and networks shape legal processes and outcomes based on their perceived identities, and how does this impact laws?-> How can bridging the conceptual gap between intimate lives and legal systems transform our understanding of legal dynamics across contexts in ways that drive theoretical innovation, contribute to more equitable legal practices and outcomes and help build new agendas for sociolegal justice.Through six workpackages, RE-RELATING proposes to explore lives before the law contextually and ethnographically. With me as the PI, the project includes two PhD students Anastasiia Omelianiuk and Robbert Dillema as well as the assistant professors Dr. Sandhya Fuchs and Dr. Flávio Eiró de Oliveira. The project is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education.