Deciphering the Genome of Constitutionalism

Ran Hirschl is the David R. Cameron Distinguished Professor in Law and Politics at the University of Toronto, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Yaniv Roznai is an associate professor at the Harry Radzyner Law School, and codirector of the Rubinstein Center for Constitutional Challenges Reichman University (Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya).

'Constitutions do not just constitute and regulate public power. They shape our collective identity. This volume brings together leading constitutional scholars from around the world to interrogate this idea of 'constitutional identity' - including its conceptual foundations and empirical manifestations in a wide range of jurisdictions. It should be read by all those interested in how to create and sustain stable constitutional systems in 'which we the people' see ourselves in our founding document and practices.' Rosalind Dixon, Scientia Professor of Law, University of New South Wales

• Introduction – the quandaries and parables of constitutional identity Ran Hirschl and Yaniv Roznai; Part I. Foundations, Theory and Concepts: 1. Rousseau's sovereignty and the concept of constitutional identity Howard Schweber; 2. Constitutional identity – cracking the genetic code of the constitution Monika Polzin; 3. Constitutional identity as discourse: mis-identity and dis-identity Jaclyn L. Neo; 4. Constitutional identity and constitutional revolution Stephen Gardbaum; 5. The death of the constituent power Victor Ferreres Comella; 6. Constitutional identity as a source of ontological security Joanne Wallis; 7. The crisis in, and of, constitutional identity Upendra Baxi; Part II. Comparative Perspectives: 8. Confucian constitutional identity Bui Ngoc Son; 9. '(A-)Religious and democratic' militant dual constitutional identities and the turn to illiberalism: the case of France Eugénie Mérieau; 10. Constitutional identity in Bangladesh – complexity and contestations Ridwanul Hoque; 11. Clashing Identities? Traditional authority and constitutionalism in Africa Heinz Klug; 12. Imposed revolution? 'August Revolution,' 'Imposed Constitution,' and the identity of the constitution of Japan Keigo Komamura; 13. India – a constitution in search of an identity Gautam Bhatia; Part III. American Constitutionalism and Constitutional Identity: 14. 'This is (not) who we are' – reflections on 1619 and the search for a singular constitutional identity Sanford Levinson; 15. Constitutional aspirationalism revisited Justin Buckley Dyer; 16. The constitution at war with itself – race, citizenship, and the forging American constitutional identity George Thomas; 17. Constitutional identity, constitutional politics, and constitutional revolutions Mark A. Graber; 18. American constitutional exceptionalism, constitutional identity, and democracy Miguel Schor; Part IV. Emerging Trends: 19. Constitution making and disharmonic identity Asli Bâli and Hanna Lerner; 20. Constitutional identity and unamendability Oran Doyle; 21. Illiberal constitutionalism and the abuse of constitutional identity Gabor Halmai and Julian Scholtes; 22. Deconstructing constitutional identity in light of the turn to populism Michel Rosenfeld; 23. Unconstitutional constitutional identities in the European Union Pietro Faraguna; 24. What counts as constitutional identity? Mila Versteeg; 25. Contrariness and contradiction in constitutional law Zachary Elkins and Tom Ginsburg; 26. Conclusion – the past, present and future of constitutional identity Christina Bambrick and Connor M. Ewing.