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Research Lines

Individuality, Solidarity, Law

Coordinator: António Monteiro Fernandes
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This is a line of research in Law, including its historical and philosophical dimensions, without excluding the opening to other knowledge (sociology, anthropology, political science…) necessary for the profound apprehension and understanding of the realities in question. The research themes may involve material from various legal disciplines, whether or not taught at the Faculty of Law, namely: Constitutional Law, History of Law, Philosophy of Law, Fundamental Rights, Family Law, Law of Succession, Labour Law, Social Security Law and Employment Policies.

The “individuality” strand immediately refers to the field of fundamental rights, particularly as regards the protection of equality, personal dignity and privacy, and, in general, to the matter of constitutionally consecrated rights, freedoms and guarantees.  The reference to “solidarity” evokes not only the normative systems with the purpose of social protection but also the legal instruments for the promotion and defence of employment, as well as the legal framework of family relations and inheritance regimes. From another perspective, this programmatic reference leads to the forms of organisation and action of collective interests and the dialectical relationships established between these phenomena and individual rights and freedoms.
Throughout the perimeter thus outlined, there are problems of legitimacy and efficiency of legislative interventions, as well as a combination of the various levels of regulation, including that of individual autonomy. On the other hand, we are faced with a vast panel of topics for historical-legal and jusphilosophical research.

Examples of possible topics/areas of research in this line:

  • Equality and non-discrimination as mainstream in European law.
  • Social security law as an instrument of employment policy.
  • Work relations and digitalisation.
  • Freedom of expression and the right to a good name and reputation.
  • A multidimensional legal framework for domestic violence.
  • Trade union freedom and individual freedom.
  • The protection of personal data in Portuguese law.
  • History of Portuguese labour law.
  • Divorce in the legal systems of the PALOP countries.
Researchers: 

Alberto Sá e Mello; António Fernandes; António José Amado; Carlos Alberto Fraga; Carolina Silva; Mara Rodrigues; Maria Cunha Louro; Marlene Mendes; Paulo Prata; Rui Oliveira.