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Constitution transformation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 September 2021

Cheryl Saunders Open the ORCID record for Cheryl Saunders [Opens in a new window]
Cheryl Saunders*
Affiliation:
Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne
*
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This article explores the extent to which (if at all) the concept of a constitution is undergoing change in the conditions of globalization that characterize the early decades of the twenty-first century, to an extent that might be described as transformation. The question is prompted both by familiar manifestations of the interdependence of domestic constitutional and international law and practice, and by the interpretation placed on them by some of the literature on global constitutionalism. Some – although by no means all – of the literature and the experience on which it draws relate to the extent of transnational influence on the way in which constitutions now are made or changed: constitution transformation in the narrow, or more particular, sense. The article seeks to answer this question with reference to global constitutional experience, including – critically – experience in Asia, as one of the largest and most diverse regions of the world, too often omitted from studies of this kind. To this end, the article considers whether the concept of a constitution can be regarded as having been globally shared in any event; examines the phenomena associated with globalization that might suggest a paradigm change; and considers the arguments that mitigate against change, at least on a global scale. In exploring these factors, it necessarily considers the extent to which states in different regions of the world diverge in their experiences of the internationalization of constitutional law. The article concludes that, on balance, it is not plausible to argue that the generic concept of a constitution has changed, with global effect. It does, however, acknowledge that current conditions of globalization present a series of challenges for national constitutions. Responding to them might itself be regarded as an exercise in global constitutionalism.

Keywords

Asian constitutionalismconstitution transformationglobalizationnational constitutionalismtransnational influence
Type
Research Article
Information
Global Constitutionalism , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , July 2021 , pp. 237 - 255
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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References

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2 A recent, particularly relevant, addition to a voluminous literature is Suami, T, A Peters, D Vanoverbeke and M Kumm (eds), Global Constitutionalism from European and East Asian Perspectives (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2018)CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

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12 Yeh and Chang, ‘The Changing Landscape of Modern Constitutionalism’ (n 11).

13 Ibid. A transitional constitution might also, in some contexts, refer to a constitution intended to last for only for an interim period, with obvious implications for durability and potentially also for legitimacy: K Zulueta-Fülscher, ‘Interim Constitutions: Peacekeeping and Democracy-Building Tools’ (International IDEA, Policy Paper 2015).

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92 Membership of regional organizations often is structured by the Constitutions of member states. Constitutions made in recent years typically provide explicitly for the treaty-making process and, increasingly, for the status of international law.