Overview

In this radical critique, Professor O'Donovan challenges conventional textbooks which assume that marriage is the essential feature of family life and that the patriarchal unit remains dominant. She shows how the key players in family law discourse - women and children - are largely excluded and argues that it is the birth of children, rather than marriage, which is the constitutive element of the family.

Full Product Details

9780745305073

Table of Contents

Reviews

'This is a wonderful book-gives students an alternative perspective.' Lucy Anderson, Kings College London'O'Donovan's volume will be of great interest to students and teachers of political sociology and family sociology, as well as social policy and family law. An exciting addition to the standard texts.' Social Policy'I applaud Professor O' Donovan's theoretical eclecticism. ...]This book will make you think.' International Journal of Law and the Family'Invaluable as a compendium of ideas, and as a starting point, for the longer term project of theorising family law.' John Dewar, Hertford College, Oxford University'It is evident that O'Donovan's book repays careful study. The work is thought-provoking and challenging, and offers many new insights into new ways of beginning to think about family law.' Caroline J. Forder, University of Limburg, Maastricht

Author Information

Katherine O'Donovan is Professor of Family Law and Legal Theory at the University of Kent at Canterbury. She is the author of many books and articles on family law and feminist legal theory.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available