2025-06-30
We live in a world of constitutions shaped by rapidly changing dynamics and marked by considerable diversity. The functions of a constitution have moved far beyond the conventional understandings of limiting government powers and protecting individual rights. Today, constitutions have helped shape collective identities, mitigate social divisions, and address a range of crises communities face, from climate change to armed conflict.
Constitutional Studies' June 2025 issue explores the state of the field of constitutional studies in regions and disciplines around the world. Preeminent scholars and practitioners share their assessments and ideas on some of the biggest challenges that constitutional systems face today—from democratic backsliding and constitutional erosion to conflict management and the compounding effects of unmet public needs. Read the complete State of the Field issue or dive into specific articles below:
Articles
- Markus Böckenförde, (Unconstitutional) Constitutional Amendments in Africa: Mapping the Field
- Zaid Al-Ali, The Arab Region 15 Years after the Uprising: Regression, Conflict, and Residual Hope
- Jiunn-rong Yeh and Wen-Chen Chang, Changing Dynamics of Constitutional Progress and Regression in Asia; 亞洲憲政進步與倒退的動態分析：選舉憲政主義、公民憲政主義與司法憲政主義的相互作用
- Silvia Suteu, Democratic Backsliding and Comparative Constitutional Soul-Searching in Europe
- Roberto Gargarella, El ‘Problema Democrático’ en América Latina y el ‘Traje Estrecho’ del Constitucionalismo; The ‘Democratic Problem’ in Latin America and the ‘Narrow Suit’ of Constitutionalism
- Ran Hirschl, Comparative Constitutional Inquiry: The North American Angle
- Elisa Arcioni and Kirsty Gover, Can Private International Law Methods Facilitate Indigenous-Settler Legal Pluralism?
- Marie-Joëlle Zahar, Réformes Constitutionnelles et Processus de Paix : Un Drôle de Couple ?; Constitutional Reforms and Peace Processes: An Odd Couple?
- Alexei Trochev and Alisher Juzgenbayev, Diverging Trajectories of Post-Soviet Constitutional Courts
Dispatches from Practice
- Mara Malagodi and Sebastian Payne, Interview with Baroness Brenda Marjorie Hale of the United Kingdom; Entretien avec la Baronne Brenda Marjorie Hale du Royaume-Uni; 專訪英國最高法院前院長Brenda Marjorie Hale of Richmond女爵; Entrevista con la Baronesa Brenda Marjorie Hale del Reino Unido
- Cheryl Saunders, Parameters of External Constitutional Assistance
Constitutional Law and Culture
- Putachad Artist, Constitutional Systems of the World: Uncovering the Art of the Cover
Book Reviews
- Chun-Yuan Lin, Subverting the Power of Asian Gender Constitutionalism: Review of Chang et al.
- Zoltán Pozsár-Szentmiklósy, Review of Silvia Suteu, Eternity Clauses in Democratic Constitutionalism
Notices
- Elisabeth Perham, Pravar Petkar, and Mariana Velasco-Rivera, Introducing the International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL) Blog
- Eva Brems and Magdalena Inés Correa Henao, The World Congress of Constitutional Law 2026
*****
On the occasion of launching our first issue, we must convey our deep gratitude to the authors above and to our editorial team producing the issue. The editorial team includes Professor Wen-Chen Chang (NTU), Dr. Mara Malagodi (Warwick), and Professor José María Serna de la Garza (UNAM) as Editors-in-Chief; Dr. Ashley Moran (Texas-Austin) as Managing Editor; and Dr. Berihun Gebeye (UCL) as Book Review Editor; Ken Chen (NTU), Christophe Dongmo (Cameroon Centre for Democracy and Human Rights), Frédérick Laurens (Copenhagen), Aziz Mrad (Luiss Guido Carli), Edward Pérez (UCL), Guillermo Pérez (Texas-Austin), and Evan Samsky (Texas-Austin) as Associate Editors; and Madison Lindsey (Texas-Austin) and Conor Powers (Texas-Austin) as Editorial Assistants.
Thanks also to our Editorial Board and Advisory Board, composed of 71 scholars from 36 countries who share our vision of removing barriers to publishing and sharing constitutional scholarship globally, as we work to understand the unique and shared challenges and opportunities constitutional systems face around the world. Thanks also to the University of Texas at Austin and Texas Digital Library for providing our website and journal management system for free, which is the foundation for making this journal entirely open access and free for both authors and readers.
Together, we are working to make Constitutional Studies an accessible, pathbreaking multilingual forum for sharing research and experience across a global community of constitutional scholars and practitioners. We look forward to your feedback!