European constitutional imaginaries : between ideology and utopia / edited by Jan Komárek.

First edition.

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2023.

xii, 400 pages ; 24 cm.

What does it mean to say that the European Union has a constitution--theoretically, but more importantly, practically? What sort of possibilities such assertion opens for various actors--politicians, legal professionals, or the general public? And what is the role of constitutional thinkers in establishing constitutional discourse as the dominant way in which European law is (or was) conceived after 1989? This volume seeks to answer such questions, with a special emphasis on the last one. 'European Constitutional Imaginaries' are the central focus of the book. These are sets of ideas and beliefs that help to motivate and at the same time justify the practice of government and collective self-rule established by the constitution (written or unwritten). Such imaginaries are as important as institutions and office-holders. They provide political action with an overarching sense and purpose recognized by those governed as legitimate. The book brings together reflections by lawyers, philosophers, sociologists, or political economists, who shed light on various constitutional imaginaries of Europe. They provide critical intellectual histories of particular legal approaches to European integration, and look behind the language of law to reach deeper insights into the contested history and political economy of Europe. They ask us to think about European law differently.

English

July 18, 2023

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Constitutional law > European Union countries.