The Story of Constitutions: Discovering the We in Us (Comparative Constitutional Law and Policy)

Today, 189 out of 193 officially recognised nation-states have a written constitution, and 75% of these have been ratified since 1975. How did this worldwide diffusion of constitutions come about? In this book, Wim Voermans traces the varied and surprising story of constitutions since the agricultural revolution of c.10,000 bce. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, Voermans shows how human evolution, human nature and the history of thought have all played their part in shaping modern constitutions. Constitutions, in turn, have shaped our societies, creating imagined communities of trust and recognition that allow us to successfully co-operate with one another. Engagingly and wittily told, the story of constitutions is vital to understanding our world, our civilisations and, most significantly, ourselves. 04.0_pp_vi_vi_Copyright_page 05.0_pp_vii_vii_Dedication 06.0_pp_viii_viii_Epigraph 07.0_pp_ix_xiv_Contents 08.0_pp_xv_xvi_Figures 09.0_pp_1_3_Prologue 10.0_pp_4_30_Introduction 11.0_pp_31_68_Constitutional_Diffusion 11.1_pp_33_43_Constitutions_Everywhere 11.2_pp_44_68_The_Origin_of_Constitutions 12.0_pp_69_200_The_History_of_the_Constitution 12.1_pp_71_81_Precursors 12.2_pp_82_97_Etched_into_Collective_Memory 12.3_pp_98_103_Roman_Roots 12.4_pp_104_117_Mediaeval_Constitutions 12.5_pp_118_130_Early-Modern_Constitutions 12.6_pp_131_132_Generations 12.7_pp_133_140_Second_Generation 12.8_pp_141_149_Third_Generation 12.9_pp_150_154_Fourth_Generation 12.10_pp_155_161_Fifth_Generation 12.11_pp_162_168_Sixth_Generation 12.12_pp_169_179_The_Seventh_Generation 12.13_pp_180_192_The_Eighth_Generation 12.14_pp_193_200_What_Are_the_Lessons_of_History 13.0_pp_201_236_Concepts_Shapes_and_Types_of_Constitutions 13.1_pp_203_220_What_Is_a_Constitution 13.2_pp_221_236_Constitutional_Kinship 14.0_pp_237_280_Effects 14.1_pp_239_240_What_Does_a_Constitution_Do 14.2_pp_241_257_The_Legal_Meaning_of_Constitutions 14.3_pp_258_269_Economic_Aspects 14.4_pp_270_280_Political_Aspects 15.0_pp_281_346_The_Imagined_Order_of_the_Constitution 15.1_pp_283_295_The_Constitutions_Beating_Heart 15.2_pp_296_310_The_Roots_of_the_Tree_of_Knowledge 15.3_pp_311_313_Constitutions_as_Vehicles_for_Legitimacy 15.4_pp_314_321_The_Story_of_the_Constitution 15.5_pp_322_339_Appealing_to_the_Imagination 15.6_pp_340_346_Once_upon_a_Time_There_Was_the_Constitution 16.0_pp_347_374_References 17.0_pp_375_378_Name_andamp_Author_Index 18.0_pp_379_388_Subject_Index