Other Lectures

Title

Untying the Knot: Marriage, the State & the Case for Their Divorce

Streaming Media

Document Type

Video File

Duration

1 hour 4 minutes 24 seconds

Publication Date

10-17-2011

Disciplines

Civil Law | Family Law | Law and Society | Political Science | Religion

Abstract

Marriage is at the center of one of today's fiercest political debates. Activists argue about how to define it, judges and legislators decide who should benefit from it, and scholars consider how the state should protect those who are denied it. Few, however, ask whether the state should have anything to do with marriage in the first place. Dr. Tamara Metz (assistant professor of political science and humanities at Reed College) addresses this crucial question, making a powerful argument that marriage, like religion, should be separated from the state. Divorcing the state from marriage is dictated by nothing less than basic commitments to freedom and equality.

Comments

Sponsored by the Linfield College Political Science Department.

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