The research program aims to study the entire field of private law. We pay attention to non-contractual liability law, family property law, health law, property law, law of persons and family law and law of obligations and contract law.
The research group aims to conduct fundamental and practice-oriented, socially relevant research in these areas of law and to be active nationally, on a European level and internationally. More specifically, the research group wants to contribute to a critical scholarly examination of and debate around (recent) challenges in these disciplines.
Our global research program is further divided into five related research lines: personality rights, contractualisation, liability and accountability, redefining kinship, and distinction between person and thing.
Our research is methodologically driven by socio-legal studies from a law-in-context approach. Private law is studied in its relation to its (social) context. We thus adopt a "law in action" approach to the study of private legal relations, following the example of Anglo-American socio-legal studies. In doing so, we pay particular attention to the interaction between private law and the social context, striving to take into account social evolutions and their impact on private law in our research.
We also pay attention to the broader embedding of private law in science, in particular sociology, gender studies, psychology, philosophy and ethics. We complement our research with multi- and transdisciplinary approaches where useful and possible. In addition, we conduct empirical research.
One of the spearheads of this law-in-context approach is a thorough consideration of the gender dimension of private law. We examine how changed social views on gender (should) shape private law and analyse the gender implications of normative choices. We also apply insights and methods from gender studies (and in particular feminist and queer legal theory) within our research, if relevant for our research.
European society is becoming increasingly diverse due to high levels of migration. Taking full account of this development, we aim to integrate the dimension of diversity into our research, whenever relevant. In this way, our research mission aligns closely with the vision statement of the University of Antwerp on fostering diversity and equal opportunities, as well as with current national and international political and research priorities on creating an inclusive society by reducing inequalities and social exclusion.
Our research further includes national as well as European and international private law, which is reflected in a strong focus on comparative law research, in addition to studying relevant European and international trends.
The Research Group on Personal Rights & Property Rights is thus the hub for exciting research in the broader framework of:
- The FWO scientific research network (WOG 2015-2024) RETHINKIN - Rethinking Legal Kinship & Family Studies in the Low Countries, of which the research group is the core group
- The Interuniversity and Intradisciplinary Center for Construction Law and Real Estate ICBO
- The Chair in Health Law and Health Ethics, an externally funded chair
- The Chair of Liability and Insurance Law, an externally funded chair
- The Chair of Animal and Law, an externally funded chair.