Abstract
As perhaps the most widely accepted theory/account of justifying/legitimizing political authority, constitutionalism has attracted much scholarly attention. However, it could be argued that the contemporary comparative constitutional law discourse is marred by an epistemic hierarchy. The ubiquity of the ‘classical liberal model’ in the discussion around constitutionalism has led to a misplaced synonymising of the two, promoting the view that classical liberal constitutionalism is the only or the best form of constitutionalism. Such synonymising entrenched in the scholarship, displays an ignorance of the myriad forms which constitutionalism may assume, thereby effectuating what may be called, a ‘north–south’ divide in the discourse. Placing the constitutionalism of ‘global north’ in the centre, it turns a blind eye to the constitutional experiences of the global south, pushing it into the periphery. Cognizance of this chasm in the scholarship has resulted in an ambivalence against liberal constitutionalism and there are pronounced calls for a post-colonial turn in the theorisation of constitutionalism. Projects such as ‘Transformative Constitutionalism’, are seen as making a departure from the default template, thus characterising a ‘post-liberal’ account of constitutionalism. At the same time, it could also be argued that inferring a regional congruence of a liberal-north vis-a-vis a post-liberal south model, runs the risk of a simplistic and overly broad macro-labelling, ignoring the heterogeneity of the diverse and peculiar constitutional experiences. The present article undertakes a review of the existing scholarship in comparative constitutional law on liberal and post-liberal constitutionalism. Through an interrogation into this liberal-post liberal dichotomy and the north–south divide in comparative constitutional law, it emphasizes upon the need for adoption of inclusive epistemologies for the study of constitutionalism.
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Notes
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ibid.
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ibid.
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ibid 7.
ibid 10.
ibid 8.
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ibid.
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ibid.
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ibid 38.
Judith Shklar, ‘The Liberalism of Fear’ in Nancy L. Rosenblum (ed.), Liberalism and the Moral Life (Harvard University Press, 1989) 21.
The term ‘adjectival constitutionalism’ has been coined by Diana Kapiszewski, Associate Professor of Government, Georgetown University, Washington. Reference to the same has been made by Mark Tushnet in his work, ‘Editorial: Varieties of Constitutionalism’ (2016) 14(1) International Journal of Constitutional Law 1.
Hirschl (n 60).
See Mark Tushnet, Editorial (2016) 14(1) International Journal of Constitutional Law 1.
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The author is currently enrolled as a Ph.D. research scholar at the Indian Law Institute, New Delhi, undertaking research in the area of transformative constitutionalism.
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Dania, S. Demystifying the liberal-post liberal divide: The ‘North–South’ debate on constitutionalism. Jindal Global Law Review 14, 9–28 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41020-023-00192-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41020-023-00192-1