89943 - THE LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIETY

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

At the end of the course, the student will be capable of identifying some of the key functions of constitutions, as well as some of the key political and social tensions in contemporary constitutional democracies. Sociological analysis will be introduced to explore constitutions as complex, but essential, institutions of democratic societies (providing legitimacy, guaranteeing democratic rights, protecting identity, stimulating societal integration). The course introduces the student to the analysis and understanding of: - the social and societal functions of constitutions and constitutional norms; - the role of societal actors in constitutional politics and constitutional change; - the relation between societal transformation, technocracy, and populism; - the populist critique on liberal, constitutional democracy; - the relation between European integration and constitutional-democratic change. The course will introduce students to various sociological approaches to the study of (European) constitutionalism, analyze socially relevant dimensions of constitutions, and apply some of this knowledge in the study of societal and constitutional transformation in Europe.

Contenuti

Programma

Il modulo si interessa per le sfide importanti al diritto nell'Europa di oggi, soprattutto intorno alla crisi del Rule of Law (RoL) e il contraccolpo ai diritti umani (e le istituzioni giuridiche internazionali). L'approccio e' interdisciplinare, con una enfasi su studi socio-giuridici e sociologici. Per comprendere la complessita' del ROL, e le relative sfide importanti, un approccio comprensivo e analitico e' necessario. Quest'ultimo cerca di includere in modo sistematico le dimensioni sociali e culturali del RoL per analizzare in modo comprensivo l'attuale crisi del diritto. 

Il modulo comincia con una discussione approfondita dei significanti del RoL, dei diritti umani, e del costituzionalismo (in senso giuridico). In un secondo momento, si discutono le dimensioni culturali, sociologiche, e sociali di queste istituzioni giuridiche. Le ultime non sono state analizzate in modo sistematico fino ad ora, e un obiettivo principale del corso e' l'analisi di culture giuridiche nazionali e della 'coscienza giuridica' nazionale. Questo per contestualizzare le istituzioni giuridiche e per mostrare come il RoL e il costituzionalismo funzionano in contesti sociali specifici.

Il corso vuole invitare gli studenti ad analizzare questioni costituzionali e giuridiche da un punto di vista sociologico. In questo modo, si cerca di chiarire la natura sociologica profonda del RoL, dei diritti umani e dei fondamenti costituzionali, e delucidare le conseguenze di intuizioni socio-giuridiche per il funzionamento del diritto nella pratica. 

 

Testi/Bibliografia

Letteratura

Alemanno, A., 2020. Europe’s Democracy Challenge: Citizen Participation in and Beyond Elections. German Law Journal, 21(1), pp. 35-40.

Bakardjieva Engelbrekt, Antonina and Xavier Groussot (2019), ‘Towards sustainable political and legal integration in Europe: peering into the future’, in: idem. (eds), The Future of Europe: Political and Legal Integration Beyond Brexit, Bloomsbury.

Blokker, Paul, 2016, chapter 'EU Democratic Oversight and Domestic Deviation from the Rule of Law: Sociological Reflections', in: C. Closa and D. Kochenov (eds), Reinforcing the Rule of Law Oversight in the European Union, Cambridge University Press, 249-270.

Blokker, P. (2019), ‘Constitutionalism, judicialization, and human rights in the integration of European society’, in: Johann Arnason (ed.), European Integration: Historical Trajectories, Geopolitical Contexts, Edinburgh University Press.

Blokker, P. (2020), ‘Building democracy by legal means? The contestation of human rights and constitutionalism in East-Central Europe’, in: Journal of Modern European History.

Cotterrell, R., 2007. Images of Europe in sociolegal traditions. In: Volkmar Gessner and David Nelken (eds.), European Ways of Law: Towards a European Sociology of Law, Hart, pp. 21-40.

Gessner, Volkmar and David Nelken (2007) (eds.), European Ways of Law: Towards a European Sociology of Law, Hart Publishers.

Gibson, James L. and Gregory A. Caldeira (1996), ‘The Legal Cultures of Europe’, Law & Society Review, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 55-86.

Grødeland, Å. B., & Miller, W. L. (2015). European Legal Cultures in Transition. Cambridge University Press

Hertogh, M. (2018), ‘The Myth of Dutch Legal Culture’, in: Nobody's Law: Legal Consciousness and Legal Alienation in Everyday Life. Springer.

Karolewski, I.P., 2016. Protest and participation in post-transformation Poland: The case of the Committee for the Defense of Democracy (KOD). Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 49(3), pp.255-267.

Krygier, M. (2019), ‘The Challenge of Institutionalisation: Post-Communist ‘Transitions’, Populism, and the Rule of Law’, European Constitutional Law Review, 15(3), pp. 544-573.

Lenaerts, K., 2019. Limits on Limitations: The Essence of Fundamental Rights in the EU. German Law Journal, 20(6), pp.779-793.

Madsen, M.R., International human rights and the transformation of European society: from ‘Free Europe’ to the Europe of human rights, in M. Madsen e C. Thornhill (eds), Law and the Formation of Modern Europe: Perspectives from the Historical Sociology of Law, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014, pp. 245-274.

Madsen, M. R., ‘The challenging authority of the European Court of Human Rights: from Cold War legal diplomacy to the Brighton Declaration and backlash’, Law & Contemporary Problems, 79, 2016, pp. 141.

Oomen, B.M. ‘A serious case of Strasbourg-bashing? An evaluation of the debates on the legitimacy of the European Court of Human Rights in the Netherlands’. The International Journal of Human Rights, 20(3), 2016, pp. 407-425.

Schluchter, Wolfgang. "The sociology of law as an empirical theory of validity." Journal of Classical Sociology 2.3 (2002): 257-280.

Skąpska, G., 2019. ‘Abuse of the Constitution as a Means of Political Change: Sociological Reflections on the Crisis of Constitutionalism in Poland’, Polish Sociological Review, 208(4), pp. 421-438.

Thornhill, Chris (2012), "The formation of a European constitution: an approach from historical-political sociology." International Journal of Law in Context 8.03 (2012): 354-393.

Thornhill, C. (2017), ‘The Sociology of Constitutions’. Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 13, pp. 493-513.

Ursu, R., ‘In the Name of the Law’, in: A. Adi and D.G. Lilleker (eds.), #rezist – Romania’s 2017, anti-corruption protests: causes, development and implications (2017, Quadriga University of Applied Sciences 2017), pp. 39-42, 39.

 

Recommended

Blokker, P. and C. Thornhill (2017), Sociological Constitutionalism, Cambridge University Press.

Febbrajo, Alberto, and Giancarlo Corsi, eds. Sociology of Constitutions: A Paradoxical Perspective. Routledge, 2016.

Galligan, D. J., & Versteeg, M. (Eds.). (2013). Social and political foundations of Constitutions. Cambridge University Press.

Münch, R. (2008), ‘Constructing a European society by jurisdiction’, European Law Journal, 14(5), pp. 519-541.

Prandini, R. (2013), ‘The Future of Societal Constitutionalism in the Age of Acceleration’, 20:2 Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies 731-776.

 

Metodi didattici

Una combinazione di lezioni, dibattito, e la visione di un documentario. Gli studenti sono invitati a prepararsi prima delle lezioni per quanti riguarda la lettura dei testi. Si aspetta dallo studente una partecipazione attiva.

NB. Il corso adotta una modalità di organizzazione della didattica che prevede una parte in remoto (20/16 ore in modalità remota su MS TEAMS) e un’altra in presenza (20/16 ore) per un numero di studenti corrispondente alla capienza dell’aula definita nel rispetto delle indicazioni dei protocolli di sicurezza. Nel caso in cui gli studenti che scelgono di frequentare in presenza sia superiore alla capienza dell’aula, si organizzeranno dei turni settimanali presenza/distanza. A prescindere dalle condizioni sanitarie e dalle specifiche modalità di organizzazione del corso, gli studenti potranno seguire le lezioni dell’intero corso in modalità remota su MS TEAMS.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

Partecipazione e discussioni 15%

Prova intermedia 25%

Saggio finale 60%

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Risorse utili

 

Blogs

Verfassungsblog [http://verfassungsblog.de/?lang=en]

Constitution-Making and Constitutional Change [http://constitutional-change.com/]

EUI – Working group Constitutionalism and Politics [https://blogs.eui.eu/constitutionalism-politics-working-group/]

Videos

Crowdsourcing A Constitution in Iceland [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMbfeWDGjtM]

Constitutional Reform in Italy [http://www.dw.com/en/bye-bye-dolce-vita-the-crisis-in-italy/av-36522880]

Italian Reform: Yes or No? [http://video.aljazeera.com/channels/eng/videos/inside-story---will-italians-vote-yes-or-no-for-constitutional-reforms%3F/5234745910001;jsessionid=1C13974318F1201479966FF4F8C56E82]

Deliberative constitution-making [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E6Z_AW3CRk]

Polish Democracy in Danger? [http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/peopleandpower/2016/04/poles-160406143143740.html]

The Hungarian Illiberal Turn [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E81YIq-m8cQ]

Democracy in Europe: Hungary [http://www.debalie.nl/agenda/podium/democracy-in-europe%3A-hungary/e_9782729/p_11768191/]
a triptych on democracy in Hungary, Poland and Turkey [http://www.debalie.nl/agenda/podium/democracy-in-europe%3A-hungary/e_9782729/p_11768191/]

Guardians of the Constitution – The German Bundesverfassungsgericht [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvlsbrElLDA]

How Is Poland Disrupting The European Union? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUOuGQ5D-Rs]

Organizations/projects

Comparative Constitutions Project [http://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org/]

IDEA International – Constitution Building [http://www.idea.int/our-work/what-we-do/constitution-building]

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Paulus Albertus Blokker