Excepteur Sint

Margunn Bjørnholt, mag. art. (PhD)
Research sociologist, Nordic Women's University, Norway
margunn.bjornholt(at)gmail.com

Margunn Bjørnholt is a sociologist and researcher, affiliated with the Nordic Women'sUniversity in Norway. Her academic interests and research cover a wide range of topics,from alternative financial institutions, cultural heritage and flexible working arrangements.  Her main emphasis is on work, family and gender equality and currently, she is working on social justice, gender equality, and feminist economics.

Before entering the academy in 1997, Bjørnholt worked as a civil servant and consultant, promoting women's entrepreneurship and regional development. She was also engaged in community initiatives, including a feminist radio station and an initiative to establish an “interest free bank”.

Bjørnholt has published a range of research reports and journal articles. Among her most recent publications are "From work-sharing couples to equal parents: Changing perspectives on men and gender equality", in Maria Jansdotter Samuelsson, Clary Krekula, Magnus Åberg (eds), Sexus ubique: On gender in power, politics and everyday practices, Karlstad University Press (in press).  “Theorising love, work and family in early Norwegian family research and today”, in Ann Ferguson and Anna G. Jónasdóttir (eds.), Love in Our Time: A Question for Feminism (in press). “How Men Became the Local Agents of Change towards Gender Equality”, Journal of Gender Studies, 20(1), 3–18 (2011). She is the co-author, with Ailsa Mckay, of an anthology, Counting on Marilyn Waring: New Advances in Feminist Economics, to be published by Demeter Press, Toronto.

While at Emory, Margunn will work with Martha Fineman, exploring the applicability of the vulnerability theory for the study of gendered patterns of privilege and disadvantage in Norway. She is generally interested in the possible relevance of the vulnerability approach as a basis for justice in the context of the fairly universal and relatively egalitarian Scandinavian welfare states.

Conor O'Mahony
Lecturer in Law & Director of Graduate Studies University College - Cork, Ireland

conor.omahony(at)ucc.ie

Conor O’Mahony lectures in constitutional law and child law at University College Cork in Ireland. He specializes in issues surrounding constitutional rights in the areas of family law, child law and education law, with a broader interest in constitutional theory and constitutional interpretation. Initially his academic work focused on the area of educational rights, including the rights of children with special educational needs; parental rights; religions freedom in the education system; and the question of how courts can enforce rights when their implementation requires the allocation of substantial resources. More recently, Conor has worked on issues such as children’s rights and the legal recognition of non-traditional family units, as well as theoretical debates surrounding the ideas of living constitutionalism and human dignity.

O’Mahony’s publications include his book, Educational Rights in Irish Law (Thomson Round Hall: 2006), and his recent articles for international journals, such as the International Journal of Constitutional Law (“There is No Such Thing as a Right to Dignity”, forthcoming), the International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family (“Irreconcilable Differences: Article 8 ECHR and Irish Law on Non-Traditional Families, Issue 1, 2012), and Public Law (“Constitutionalism and Legislation in Special Educational Needs Law: An Anglo-Irish Comparison”, 2008). He has spoken at conferences in Ireland, the UK, Canada, South Africa and Turkey and has guest lectured in Germany and Norway.

O’Mahony’s visit to Emory is in conjunction with his research on a comparative study of same-sex marriage litigation in the US and Ireland. This project will particularly focus on the relationship between direct democracy and judicial review in such cases. The research examines whether judges factor the possibility of their decision being overturned by referendum into their calculation as to how deferential they should be; and if so, whether this calls for more or less deference. He will be working with Professor Martha Fineman, as well as Professor Michael Perry and Professor Barbara Bennett Woodhouse, and is eager to meet anyone with similar interests.