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Families, Partnerships and Law Reform in the European Union: Balancing Disciplinarity and Liberalisation

Carl Stychin's Governing Sexuality The Changing Politics of Citizenship and Law Reform, is a collection of essays on the general theme of sexual citizenship and law reform in Europe.' The essays, published elsewhere over the previous four to five years and reworked for publication in this book, are theoretically informed studies of 'law reform and legal struggle' (p 5). Stychin challenges assumptions about the value of 'liberal law reforms' which promote partnership and other 'family' rights and expresses concerns about the disciplinary nature of rights discourse and the ways in which rights 'govern' our sexuality and ways of living. Stychin's analysis is perceptive, provocative and demands careful consideration. The aim of this review, however, is to suggest that while we must take heed of Stychin's concerns, we must also recognise the value of progressive law reform in expanding the concept of family, reworking its meanings and associations, and embracing the diverse nature of family practices. This argument will be made with a particular focus on the laws of the European Union, a field of scholarship in which Stychin's theoretical and thought-provoking arguments are much needed. Before expanding on this argument in more detail, the following section outlines Stychin's analysis.