A special launch event for a new book, co-edited by Kent family law expert Dr Nicola Barker, has been held in London.
The launch of From Civil Partnership to Same-Sex Marriage: Interdisciplinary Reflections, was hosted by Birkbeck Gender & Sexuality (BiGS) at Gay’s the Word Bookshop in London. BiGS Director Daniel Monk co-edited the book with Dr Barker.
Dr Barker said: ‘This edited collection marks the tenth anniversary of the Civil Partnership Act and the recently enacted Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act. This moment provides a good opportunity to reflect on the impact of these pieces of legislation, not only for individuals and families but also historically, socially and legally.
‘The contributors to this book are from a variety of backgrounds and bring diverse perspectives to bear on the last decade of British legal history, from the debates within the Church of England to the impact of the legislation on co-parenting and relationship breakdown, and its consequences in relation to Scottish devolution.’
The book was published by Routledge in April.
Dr Barker, a Senior Lecturer at Kent Law School, is the author of several articles on marriage and civil partnerships, as well as the book Not the Marrying Kind: A Feminist Critique of Same-Sex Marriage (Palgrave, 2012), which won the Hart/Socio-Legal Studies Association book prize in 2013.
Last year, Dr Barker published a book section entitled ‘Why Care? “Deserving Family Members” and the Conservative Movement for Broader Family Recognition’. in Vulnerabilities, Care and Family Law published by Routledge.
In addition to teaching Family Law and Public Law to undergraduate students, Dr Barker is a member of the Editorial Board of Feminist Legal Studies. For more information about Dr Barker’s research interests and publications, visit her staff profile page.