Pilar Arregui, professor of History of Law of the School of Law, is a member of the committee organizer of the II workshop Interdisciplinary on the family: 'Family: history and culture'. The workshop, coordinated by the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) at the initiative of Office of the Vice President for Research, will be held on April 29th at the University of Navarra.

In this interview, Professor Arregui contextualizes the topic chosen for the second edition and highlights some new features.

What does the II Interdisciplinary workshop on the Family seek?

The workshop of the Family seeks to give continuity to the attractive initiative that the Office of the Vice President for Research and the ICS launched last year with the I workshop Interdisciplinary Family: 'Family and society in the XXI century'.

That I workshop tried to establish a point of meeting for the researchers of the University of Navarra who, in their work, approached questions related to the family from different perspectives. This year we wanted to limit the topic focusing only on the knowledge of its historical and cultural evolution. This choice is due to the conviction that it will be difficult to understand the current family reality and all its problems if we do not previously know its historical evolution and the reasons and conditioning factors that have led it to be what it is today. Allow me to explain this with an example. Today we use with certain profusion the expression "traditional family". What do we understand by this? Each stage of history, expressly or implicitly, has developed its own concept of "traditional family", what has been understood by this at each moment, the same as today?

For this reason, the historical-cultural perspective is the one that can best explain its current reality. Through history, we will be able to discover what has been permanent and fundamental in it over the centuries and what is most accidental, its clear interdependence with other areas of reality, etc. 

What topics related to the family can be studied from history and culture?

All, because the family, as well as the people who form it, has a fundamental and inescapable historical dimension without which it is difficult to understand its current status , its present.

What novelties can we find with respect to the previous edition?

Mainly its different format. On this occasion, the organizing committee has set the topic, designed the program and invited as speakers renowned specialists (both from the University of Navarra and other universities, including international ones) in each of the selected topics.

What are the advantages of these conference having an interdisciplinary character?

Life is multifaceted and, therefore, so are each of the institutions that make it up. Approaching any part of this reality with an interdisciplinary perspective is to approach it in better conditions to be able to understand its richness and transcendence with greater breadth and depth. 

Why is research on the family so important to the University of Navarra?

Because the family has been, is and will be (nothing has been discovered that can replace it in all its breadth) a vital institution for each and every existing person. In it one is born, grows, and learns as a person. It is where we are accepted, valued and loved simply because we are and not because of what we are. Consequently, the family has a great constructive power over the person, but also, unfortunately, a great destructive power over its members and, therefore, over the society in which they are integrated.

What is the balance of last year's workshop ??

I understand that it was excellent, insofar as it highlighted the high issue of researchers of this University concerned about the topic of the family and that, consequently, they approach it with great seriousness and rigor from different perspectives. A good part of that effort, moreover, will soon appear in a collective work under the degree scroll: 'Family and society in the 21st century'.