The HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences Institute for Sociology cordially invites you to

 

 Representation of Roma in workfare and family policy discourses in the authoritarian, neoliberal, and populist context of Hungary

 

 

Lecturer: Alexandra Sipos (HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences)

Discussants:  Lídia Balogh (HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences);  Antonio García Cazorla (Minority Rights Group Europe) 

Date: 16 May, 2024. 1 p.m.

Venue: Centre for Social Sciences Institute for Sociology, 1097 Budapest, Tóth Kálmán utca 4. Room B1.15 

Online Link: 

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83235267278?pwd=De5BD4n7cj2r6URkKKygmu3SdQgu3E.1

Meeting ID: 832 3526 7278
Passcode: 880263

 

Abstract 

 

As of July 1, 2009, in Hungary, same-sex couples have the option to enter into a registered partnership but are not granted access to marriage. The paper scrutinizes a decision from the Hungarian Constitutional Court, reinterpreting it from feminist viewpoints on the institution of marriage and considering Hungary’s Central-Eastern-European geographical and historical context.

Regarding the timeline of recognizing same-sex couples, two key Constitutional Court decisions can be distinguished: the 14/1995 (III. 13.) and the 154/2008. (XII. 17.). The first, a notably progressive decision, addressed the issue of de facto partnerships and their connection to marriage, while the second focused on the regulation of registered partnerships, the newest established form of state-recognized partnership, in comparison to that of marriage.

In the paper, the examination of these two decisions are followed by a rewriting exercise of the 2008 Decision. This involves providing commentary and proposing alternative approaches to its reinterpretation. The commentary reflects on the Court's neutrality concerning homosexuality, the question of discrimination based on sexual orientation, state obligations within the private sphere, and the value of marriage as an institution. The rewriting draws on feminist and queer critiques of marriage, emphasizing its significance, relevance, and "special place" in society and the legal framework, using concepts like heteronormativity (Warner, 1991), amatonormativity (Brake, 2012), and allonormativity (Mollet & Lackman, 2022). Brief presentations of critiques of assimilation (Butler, 2002) and potential reforms to the institution of marriage (Chambers, 2013) are included in the commentary. The equal freedom and freedom of choice of citizens to determine how to lead their way of life are highlighted in the rewriting processin order to emphasize the value of different forms of relationship recognition. To further support the argument that expanding options for partnership recognition is valuable, the dissenting opinion of Dr. András Bragyova and the philosophical perspective of Martha C. Nussbaum and Nauzisca Palazzo are included.

This paper is part of the Feminist Judgments Project in Central and Eastern Europe, where a group of academics engage in similar feminist rewriting exercises within their respective contexts: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/research/research-projects/feminist-judgments-centraland-eastern-europe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This event will be held in Hungarian!