legitimating

Legitimating is the act or process of making something legitimate—legally valid, morally acceptable, or socially recognized. The term stems from Latin legitimare, meaning to make lawful, derived from legitimus “lawful.” In common use, legitimating can refer to people, relationships, institutions, or actions that are granted lawful status or social acceptance.

In legal contexts, legitimation often involves conferring formal status or rights through statute, judicial decision, or regulatory action. A traditional example is the legitimation of a child, whereby parental rights and inheritance claims are recognized after the parents’ marriage or through civil procedures designed to establish legal parental status. Modern systems may allow legitimation by birth registration or other non-marital recognitions.

In political and social theory, legitimacy denotes the perceived right to govern. Legitimating processes are the mechanisms by which authorities seek and sustain acceptance, such as elections, constitutional legitimacy, adherence to rights, transparency, performance, or alignment with cultural or religious norms. Legitimating rhetoric or acts can enhance compliance even when coercive power remains. Conversely, a credible political order can erode legitimacy if institutions fail to meet expectations or violate norms.

In international relations, recognition by other states can contribute to a regime’s legitimacy on the world stage, influencing sovereignty and legitimacy in practice.

Critics note that legitimacy is often contingent and contested; what is legally valid may not be morally or popularly accepted, and acts of legitimation can obscure coercion or inequality. Related concepts include legitimacy, legitimization, recognition, and the social contract.