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Profile

My research focuses on justice in interpersonal relationships, particularly intimate, caring and familial relationships. My PhD thesis, entitled 鈥淛ust Marital Establishment鈥�, interrogated the case for marital disestablishment, and argued that states could support marriage in a manner consistent with liberal requirements for a secular, non-discriminatory and neutral state. My current research extends this work probing a bit deeper into what the is owed to us by the state, relationally speaking. One question I am interested in is whether any recognition of significant relationships at all by the state can avoid falling foul of liberal critiques. Another is whether the historical significance and social-embeddedness of a practice like marriage should bear any weight in the justification of a scheme of relational justice.

I am interested in feminist work on gender justice more broadly, and the role of the family in reproducing unequal gender norms. In particular, I have been writing about early infant care, and the problem breastfeeding poses for establishing more egalitarian norms of co-parenting. You can a piece on this prepared for the 糖心TV Research Spotlight on Society and Culture here.

Finally, I have been reflecting on movements for seed and food sovereignty, and how these relate to and differ from more familiar claims to sovereignty over land and resources. I am interested in thinking about food justice through the lens of relational justice, centring the relationships between producers and consumers.

Research Interests

• Justice in familial, intimate, and caring relationships
• Feminism and its interaction with liberalism and culture
• The recognition of LGBTQI+ identities by the state
• The normative implications of food sovereignty movements

Teaching

In the academic year 2026/27 I am teaching:

PO2E3 - Foundations of Political Theory (Module Director)

PO2E2 - Topic in Political Theory

PO134 - Justice, Democracy, and Citizenship

Recent Publications

• Brown, J. (2026), Lactation, Childrearing, and Gender Justice. Journal of Applied Philosophy.

• Brown, J. (2022). What Becomes of the Right to Marry? Disestablishment and the Value of Marriage. In Being Social: The Philosophy of Social Human Rights, Kimberley Brownlee, David Jenkins, and Adam Neal (eds.), Oxford University Press.