Marta Arena
The Single Mother’s Networks of Proximity in Tunisia
Marta Arena studied law, African studies and social anthropology at the University of Turin, at the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris. She received a PhD in comparative law (Islamic Law) from the University of Turin and she is due to complete a PhD in social anthropology at the EHESS. Her research has focused on the Tunisian law 75/98 awarding children born out of wedlock the right to get their father’s family name (laqab) and it has been conducted to demonstrate the continuity of this law with the traditional representation of the nasab and its non-contradiction with Islamic Law tenets.
The Single Mother’s Networks of Proximity in Tunisia
Her project as Rechtskulturen Fellow, “The Single Mother’s Networks of Proximity in Tunisia”, further develops the inquiry into the way this law proves to be effective and fit to be used for women. At a time when the family legislation has become a core object in the Tunisian political arena, interest is drawn to the way state law aiming at (re)ordering social relations fails to modify the social structure (in structuralistic terms) and the way law, in turn, is applied in order to be made consistent with social practices and representations.
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