Comparative and interdisciplinary interfaces of associational life and freedom

Cahill, Maria

Comparative and interdisciplinary interfaces of associational life and freedom

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Societas WP36_Comparative and Interdisciplinary Interfaces_Maria Cahill.pdf(470.78 KB)

Published Version

Date

2025

Authors

Cahill, Maria

Publisher

School of Law, University College Cork

Abstract

Associational Life and Freedom: Insights from Philosophy and Law is an edited volume focusing on the lived and legal reality of what it is to participate in associations, whether they be sports clubs, charities, trade unions or political parties, or indeed student, cultural, minority or religious associations. Although freedom of association is a fundamental human right protected in legal systems around the world, to date, scholarly inquiry into what it protects and why it offers that protection has not kept pace with that explicating other rights. Its most compelling feature is that freedom of association protects individuals in their sociality, in collaborative context of their relationships with others, the nuances of which make the work of judicially interpreting its nature and scope quite complex. This collection, the first interdisciplinary effort to illuminate the complexities of associational life and freedom, is an output of a Laureate project funded by Research Ireland entitled “Societās: Exploring the Value of Freedom of Association” IRCLA/2022/3860, led by Professor Maria Cahill as Principal Investigator at the School of Law, University College Cork, Ireland and running from 2022 until 2026. The project has two principal dimensions: first, it investigates how the right to freedom of association is enshrined, interpreted and vindicated in the diverse cultural and political contexts of jurisdictions around the world, and second, it considers how this right might be more fully understood and protected, including by reference to interdisciplinary perspectives. The former entails an extensive comparative study, expanding beyond the scope of this present work,1 involving dozens of scholars from different jurisdictions, some of whom are writing the first piece of legal scholarship on how this particular right is protected in their jurisdiction. The latter entails cross-disciplinary conversation with scholars, mostly philosophers, whose research on the social dimension of the human experience helps to inspire greater sensitivity to the contours and the importance of the right within law. To promote the cross- and inter-disciplinary aims of the project, Dr Giulia Lasagni (a philosopher with expertise in the field of social ontology) was appointed as Senior Postdoctoral Researcher on the Societās project team.

Keywords

Comparative and interdisciplinary interfaces , Associational life and freedom

Citation

Cahill, M. (2025) 'Comparative and interdisciplinary interfaces of associational life and freedom', Societās Working Paper 36/2025 (21pp). Cork: School of Law, University College Cork.