Constitutional Democracy in Crisis

Constitutional democracies seem to be under pressure from all sides. Progressive have grown impatient with a society that has been too slow to deliver on the promise of freedom of equality for its marginalized members. Conservatives fear “woke-ism” and the speed with which society seems to be abandoning its traditional values. And as an added challenge, we continue to see the rise of authoritarianism regimes around the globe. Against this backdrop, it is increasingly unclear what work a constitution can do or is supposed to do.

And yet, despite their flaws, constitutional democracies hold the promise of stability, freedom, equality, and even progress—some glimmer of hope against the emerging global specter of illiberal, anti-democratic authoritarianism. The purpose of this conference is to bring together legal scholars, philosophers of law, and academics from the other humanities from both sides of the Atlantic to discuss the past, present, and future of constitutionalism.

This conference marks a collaboration between the Philosophy Department at Temple University and the School of Law at the University of Glasgow.

Questions of interest may include:

·      What are the benefits or drawbacks of constitutional democracy?

·      What are the defining elements of a constitution?

·      How (and by whom) should a constitution be interpreted and enforced?

·      Are individual rights protections a necessary feature of democratic constitutions? Which rights ought to be protected by constitutions?

·      What is the relationship between constitutions, democracies, and rule of law?

·      Are constitutional democracies likely to be resistant to threats of polarization, fake news, and political polarization? Why or why not?

·      Is the separation of powers necessary for maintaining a healthy constitutional democracy?

·      Do other aspect of law (criminal, civil, family, property, etc.) depend for their legitimacy on the existence of a constitutional framework?