Binding: Hardcover
Description: The foundings of constitutional democracies are commonly traced to singular moments. In turn these moments of national origin are characterized as radical political innovations notable for their civic unity perfect legitimacy and binding authority. In constitutional democracies this common view is particularly attractive with original founding events actors and ideals continuously evoked in everyday politics to legitimize state authority and unify citizens. Ang lica Maria Bernal challenges this view of foundings however explaining that it is ultimately dangerous misguided and unsustainable. Beyond Origins argues that the ascription of a universal authority to original founding events is problematic because it limits our understanding of subsequent foundational changes political transformation and innovation. This singular view also confounds our ability to account for all of the actors and venues through which foundation - building and constitutional transformation occurs. Because such understandings of national foundings obscure the many power struggles at work in them these origin stories are invalid. In the wake of these limited views of national founding Bernal develops an alternate approach: "founding beyond origins." Rather than asserting that founding events are authoritatively settled and relegated to history this framework redefines foundings as contentious uncertain and incomplete. Indeed the book looks at a wide variety of contexts - - early imperial Rome; revolutionary Haiti and France; the mid - 20th century racially - segregated United States; and contemporary Latin America - - to reconsider political foundings as a contestatory and ongoing dimension of political life. Bridging classic and contemporary political and constitutional theory with historical readings Bernal reorients understandings of political foundings arguing that it is only through context - specific and pragmatist understandings of democratic origins that we can realize the potential for radical democratic change.
Title: Beyond Origins Rethinking Founding In A Time Of Constitutional Democracy
Author(s): Bernal Angelica Maria (Assistant Professor Of Political Science Assistant Professor Of Political Science University Of Massachusetts Amherst)
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
Barcode: 9780190494223
Pages: 290 Pages
Publication Date: 7/31/2017
Category: Political Geography