Global Constitutionalism: History, Theory and Contemporary Challenges
| Autor | Mattias Kumm |
| Cargo | NYU School of Law, New York, United States & Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. E-mail: mattias.kumm@wzb.eu. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2576-407X. |
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Rev. Direito e Práx., Rio de Janeiro, Vol. 13, N.04, 2022, p.2732-2773
Mattias Kumm
DOI: 10.1590/2179-8966/2022/70784| ISSN: 2179-8966
Global Constitutionalism: History, Theory and
Contemporary Challenges
Constitucionalismo Global: História, Teoria e Desafios Contemporâneos
Mattias Kumm1
1 NYU School of Law, New York, United States; Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. E-
mail: mattias.kumm@wzb.eu. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2576-407X.
Article received on 16/10/2022 and accepted on 16/10/2022.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
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Rev. Direito e Práx., Rio de Janeiro, Vol. 13, N.04, 2022, p.2732-2773
Mattias Kumm
DOI: 10.1590/2179-8966/2022/70784| ISSN: 2179-8966
Abstract
Notwithstanding the political origins of constitutionalism in the west and the leading role
played by the United States in the creation of the new global order after WWII, this origin
of the global constitutional project does not undermine the claims to universality
underlying it. After laying out a basic account of some core theoretical premises guiding
global constitutionalism, the article presents a series of genealogical reflections, in which
the basic project of global constitutionalism is affirmed, even as some of its concrete
features and their connection to great power domination – and US domination more
specifically – is critically highlighted. It concludes that the core challenge that global
constitutionalism faces is not the shift of power away from the west to other geographical
areas, such as Asia and South America. Its core challenge are structural inadequacies that
are glossed over complacently and self-interestedly by powerful actors claiming to speak
in its name and discrediting its basic ideas among those who suffer as a result.
Keywords: Global Constitutionalism; Affirmative genealogy; Critical genealogy; American
Empire.
Resumo
Apesar das origens políticas do constitucionalismo no Ocidente e o papel de liderança
desempenhado pelos Estados Unidos na criação da nova ordem global após a Segunda
Guerra Mundial, essa origem do projeto constitucional global não compromete as
reivindicações de universalidade subjacentes. Depois de expor algumas premissas
teóricas fundamentais que norteiam o constitucionalismo global, o artigo apresenta uma
série de reflexões genealógicas nas quais o projeto básico do constitucionalismo global se
afirma, mesmo que algumas de suas características concretas e sua conexão com a
dominação das grandes potências – e a dominação dos EUA, mais especificamente – seja
destacada criticamente. Conclui que o principal desafio que o constitucionalismo global
enfrenta não é a mudança de poder do ocidente para outras áreas geográficas, como Ásia
e América do Sul. Seu principal desafio são as inadequações estruturais que são
encobertas com complacência e interesse próprio por atores poderosos que alegam falar
em seu nome e desacreditam suas ideias básicas entre aqueles que, como resultado,
prejudicam.
Palavras-chave: Constitucionalismo global; Genealogia afirmativa; Genealogia crítica;
Império americano.
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Rev. Direito e Práx., Rio de Janeiro, Vol. 13, N.04, 2022, p.2732-2773
Mattias Kumm
DOI: 10.1590/2179-8966/2022/70784| ISSN: 2179-8966
I. Global Constitutionalism and Contemporary Challenges
Modern constitutionalism has its political origins in the 18th century American, French and
Haitian Revolutions. Even though the connection between the national and the
international was a much discussed topic in 18th century political thought, the defeat of
Napoleon and the political settlement of the Congress of Vienna in 1 815 ensured that
even as gains were achieved by political forces fighting for constitutionalist ideas in
various states throughout the 19th century, international jurists have not discussed
international law in constitutionalist terms until the 2 0th century. A first wave of
constitutionalist writing took place in the Inter-War Period until after WWII, when the
emergence of the Cold War put an end to it. A second wave was initiated in the 1990s and
2000s after the end of the Cold War , was more deeply anchored in institutional and
doctrinal developments and, as I will try to argue here, is likely to be more durable,
notwithstanding considerable contemporary challenges.
1
Global constitutionalists bring a particular mindset – a particular jurisprudential
approach – to public law. In the next section I will describe the features of this approach
in more concrete terms, here it must suffice to paint with a very broad brush, just to get
a first thin idea.
Global Constitutionalism takes the basic principles underlying constitutionalism
as it has evolved since the American, French and Haitian Revolutions as basic for thinking
about law and legitimate authority. These basic principles, derived from the more
fundamental idea of free and equals governing themselves, are today ubiquitously
invoked in the formula “human rights, democracy and the rule of law”. This is the
trinitarian mantra of constitutional thought, that along with the idea of free and equals
governing themselves, is constitutive of constitutionalism.
The meaning of these commitments and their exact relationship to one another
is of course not clear. The formula and its three components have been interpreted,
contested, struggled over reinterpreted for more than two centuries, both abstractly and
with regard to more concrete institutional or doctrinal implications.
Global constitutionalists interpret this commitment in a way that gives rise to
three distinct claims, that combine the global, the cosmopolitan and the universal. First,
1
For an overview see PETERS, 2015. See also WIENER; LANG, 2017.
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