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Constitutionalism: Sociology of

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Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy

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Sociological research on constitutionalism, often now known as “sociological constitutionalism,” contains a number of very varied lines of analysis and is not strictly characterized by a common or unifying set of features. As a result, such research is best identified ex negativo, by discussion of the characteristics that differentiate it from more classical normative lines of constitutional doctrine.

More classical analysis of constitutionalism is exemplified, first, by inquiries in a broadly liberal, Kantian tradition (Kant 1976, 169). Such approaches tend to see the constitution as a textual instrument, imposed on organs of state, which obliges government to act in accordance with principles that are perceived as rationally necessary for a society in which human beings can flourish and realize their most essential freedoms, both publicly and privately. From a Kantian perspective, the significance of a constitution resides in the fact that it creates a state which is...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Chris Thornhill

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  1. Chris Thornhill
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Correspondence to Chris Thornhill .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for International and Comparative Law, University of Baltimore School of Law, Baltimore, USA

    Mortimer Sellers

  2. Department of Legal Theory, International and European Law, University of Salzburg, Austria, Salzburg, Austria

    Stephan Kirste

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Philosophy, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Patricia Mindus Ph.D

  2. Charles III University, Madrid, Spain

    Triantafyllos Gkouvas

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Thornhill, C. (2023). Constitutionalism: Sociology of. In: Sellers, M., Kirste, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_72-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_72-1

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