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Research Seminar in Sociology of Law with Yafa Shanneik
The Sociology of Law Department arranges research seminars inviting local and international social scientists to present state-of-the-art research within various areas of law and society.
Governing Health, Family and Religion
The Biopolitics of Genetic Counselling and Religious Family Formations
19 February 2025 | 13:15 to 15:00
Room M331, 3rd floor, Allhelgona Kyrkogata 18 (House M), Lund.
Norway’s recent decision to ban marriages between close relatives, alongside similar ongoing legislative debates in Sweden and Germany, highlights a significant shift towards increased state intervention in the regulation of marriage practices in Europe. These developments reflect a growing trend of governments across Europe to assert control over personal and cultural traditions. These measures often target Muslim communities that practice consanguinity and endogamy framing these as incompatible with European societal norms. Such policies risk stigmatising minorities and increasing their social exclusion.
Outside of Europe, in countries like Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), policymakers have responded to consanguineous and endogamous marriage practices by taking a directive approach in encouraging or mandating genetic screening before marriage. These policies address genetic risks while trying to navigate religious sensitivities and cultural traditions. Additionally, they consider real or perceived demographic challenges within their populations.
This presentation introduces a new research project at Lund University, funded by an ERC Consolidator Grant, which examines how state-led genetic healthcare policies intersect with cultural traditions and individual choices in family formations. The project focuses on close-knit religious minorities practising consanguineous and endogamous marriages to preserve communal bonds and lineages. It also examines how transnational spaces allow these communities to bypass national legal and healthcare restrictions. By comparing genetic counselling frameworks across different European and Middle Eastern countries, the project offers a new conceptual approach to researching the interplay of state policies, community governance and individual choice.
Yafa Shanneik is Visiting Professor of Islamic Studies at Lund University. Her research focuses on the intersections of Islam, gender, and migration in two regional contexts: Europe and the Middle East. Her work examines transnational Muslim female resistance movements, exploring how women navigate and challenge power structures within their communities and broader socio-political contexts. She has conducted extensive ethnographic fieldwork in Britain, Germany, Ireland, Jordan, Iran and the Arab Gulf states.
She published in numerous journals including Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies; Religion; Journal of Material Religion; Religion and Gender; Journal of Muslims in Europe; Journal of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations; Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs. Her monograph The Art of Resistance in Islam. The Performance of Politics among Shi‘i Women in the Middle East and Beyond was published by Cambridge University Press in 2022.
Om evenemanget
Plats:
Room M331, 3rd floor, Allhelgona Kyrkogata 18 (House M), Lund and online.
Kontakt:
ida [dot] nafstad [at] soclaw [dot] lu [dot] se