MACMILLAN Relational Vulnerability: Theory, Law and the Private Family (Palgrave Socio-Legal Studies)

This book breaks new theoretical ground by constructing a framework of ‘relational vulnerability’ through which it analyses the disadvantaged position of those who undertake unpaid caregiving, or ‘dependency-work’, in the context of the private family. Expanding on existing socio-legal scholarship on vulnerability and resilience, it charts how the state seeks to conceal the embodied and temporal reality of vulnerability and dependency within the private family, while promoting an artificial concept of autonomous personhood that exposes dependency-workers work to a range of harms. The book argues that the legal framework governing the married and unmarried family reinforces principles of individualism and rationality, while labelling dependency-work as a private, gendered, and sentimental endeavor, lacking value beyond the family. It also considers how the state can respond to relational vulnerability and foster resilience. It seeks to provide a more comprehensive understanding of resilience, theorising its normative goals and applying these to different hypothetical state responses.  Review “The book provides a clear and understandable account of complex theoretical literature, while retaining focus upon the application of these theoretical ideas … . this book provides an excellent distillation of the role that ‘relational vulnerability’ could play in the legal regulation of adult personal relationships, offering some interesting potential solutions for the future. … book is a strong addition to the literature on the legal understanding of adult personal relationships and on the relationship between law and vulnerability theory.” (Alan Brown, International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, December 11, 2021) Review “Gordon-Bouvier's book is insightful and beautifully written, with careful and nuanced argumentation. She analyses matters relevant to the private family from a vulnerability perspective. In doing so, she also substantially contributes to academic debate on private family law and to Fineman's vulnerability theory” (Dr Roxanna Dehaghani, Senior Lecturer, School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University, UK.) From the Back Cover This book breaks new theoretical ground by constructing a framework of ‘relational vulnerability’ through which it analyses the disadvantaged position of those who undertake unpaid caregiving, or ‘dependency-work’, in the context of the private family. Expanding on existing socio-legal scholarship on vulnerability and resilience, it charts how the state seeks to conceal the embodied and temporal reality of vulnerability and dependency within the private family, while promoting an artificial concept of autonomous personhood that exposes dependency-workers work to a range of harms. The book argues that the legal framework governing the married and unmarried family reinforces principles of individualism and rationality, while labelling dependency-work as a private, gendered, and sentimental endeavor, lacking value beyond the family. It also considers how the state can respond to relational vulnerability and foster resilience. It seeks to provide a more comprehensive understanding of resilience, theorising its normative goals and applying these to different hypothetical state responses. Ellen Gordon-Bouvier is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Law, Oxford Brookes University, UK About the Author Ellen Gordon-Bouvier is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Law, Oxford Brookes University, UK