Welcome and Introduction to the Academy

The International Academy for the Study of the Jurisprudence of the Family is an independent academic society which seeks to promote thoughtful consideration and discussion of the foundations of the family, including marriage, parenting, and extended family relations. The Academy also encourages the consideration of the family's eligibility for legal and social recognition.

The creation of the International Academy for the Study of the Jurisprudence of the Family grew out of an international scholarly conference that convened at Boston College Law School in May of 2009. Papers presented at that conference were published in a book, The Jurisprudence of Marriage and Other Intimate Relationships (the fore-runner of the International Journal of the Jurisprudence of the Family). Participants in that conference supported the organization of a scholarly society to address global issues regarding laws and legal policies regulating marriage, parenting, and families.

The International Academy for the Study of the Jurisprudence of the Family was formed in 2010 and the first annual international symposium sponsored by the Academy was held that May of 2010 year in Bratislava, Slovakia at the University of Bratislava. Papers presented at the conference were published in the summer of 2011 in Volume One of the International Journal of the Jurisprudence of the Family.

The annual international symposium in 2011 was held in two sessions. The first convened in May 2011 at the Pontifical University of Buenos Aires, followed by a second session that convened in July 2011 at the University of Malta (Valletta campus, Aula Magna). Papers from those sessions were published in Volume Two of the International Journal of the Jurisprudence of the Family in the summer 2012.

The Doha International Institute for Family Studies and Development (now known as the Doha International Family Institute (DIFI)), hosted the annual international symposium in May of 2012. Papers from that conference were published in Volume Three of the International Journal of the Jurisprudence of the Family in the summer of 2013.

The fourth annual international symposium of the International Academy for the Study of the Jurisprudence of the Family convened at Cardozo Law School of Yeshiva University in New York City in June 2013. Papers from that annual symposium were published in the summer of 2014 in Volume Four of the International Journal of the Jurisprudence of the Family.

The fifth annual international symposium of the Academy convened on June 9-10, 2014, at the School of Law at the University of La Coruña, Spain. The papers presented at the symposium addressed the topic of "Family and Religion: Juridical Dimensions." Selected papers from that symposium will be published in volume 5 of the International Journal for the Jurisprudence of the Family.

On June 9-10, 2015, the sixth annual international symposium of the International Academy for the Study of the Jurisprudence of the Family convened at Ono Academic College in Tel Aviv, Israel. The papers presented at the symposium addressed the topic of "Child and Family in challenging situations: legal issues." Selected papers from that symposium were published in volume 6 of the International Journal of the Jurisprudence of the Family.

On June 15-16, 2016, the seventh annual international symposium of the International Academy for the Study of the Jurisprudence of the Family convened at San Pablo Catholic University Faculty of Law, Arequipa, PerĂº. The papers presented at the symposium addressed the topic of "Family and Human Rights." Selected papers from that symposium were published in volume 7 of the International Journal of the Jurisprudence of the Family.

On July 19-20, 2017, the eighth annual international symposium of the International Academy for the Study of the Jurisprudence of the Family convened at University of Bialystok, in Bialystok, Poland. The papers presented at the symposium addressed the topic of "Judicial Protection of the Family: Too Little or Too Much?" Selected papers from that symposium appear in volume 8 of the International Journal of the Jurisprudence of the Family.

The ninth annual international symposium of the International Academy for the Study of the Jurisprudence of the Family is set for June 20-21, 2018 at the University of Asia and the Pacific, Philippines. The papers presented at the symposium addressed the topic of "Family and Poverty" Selected papers from that symposium will appear in volume 9 of the International Journal of the Jurisprudence of the Family.


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