The University of Notre Dame has been chosen as the U.S. partner in a British initiative that involves an international network considering the intersection of families and the state from interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives.

Notre Dame law professor Margaret Brining, the Fritz Duda Family Chair in Law, will direct and organize the Leverhulme Trust’s third project in the workshop. Brining is well known for her interdisciplinary and empirical focus and for her experience in international family law organizations.

The workshop will take place at Notre Dame and involve principals from the United Kingdom and Australia, as well as family law experts from around the world. The workshop’s theme will be the meaning of “family solidarity” and its implications for regulation. One question to be addressed involves how shifting notions of family solidarity affect the state’s ability to regulate by transmitting cultural, social and legal messages about family life.

The Leverhulme grant is approximately $500,000 and will be spread over three years to cover meeting expenses, travel, board, lodging and publication. The Leverhulme Trust, based in London, was established in 1925 and provides funding for research projects, fellowships, studentships, bursaries and prizes. It operates across all academic disciplines.