Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory
- The Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Frontispiece
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction
- Part I Values
- Part II Modalities
- 10 Impartiality
- 11 Constitutional Legitimacy
- 12 Sovereignty
- 13 Constituent Power
- 14 Representation
- 15 Deliberation
- 16 Opposition
- 17 The Separation of Powers
- 18 The Rule of Law
- 19 Constitutional Conventions
- 20 Secularism
- 21 Constitutional Review
- 22 Constitutional Interpretation
- 23 Proportionality
- 24 Civil Disobedience
- 25 Constitutional Entrenchment
- 26 Emergency Powers
- 27 Regulation
- 28 Cost–Benefit Analysis
- 29 Revolution
- Part III Institutions
- Part IV Challenges for Constitutional Democracy
- Bibliography
- Index
- References
13 - Constituent Power
from Part II - Modalities
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 March 2025
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory
- The Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Frontispiece
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction
- Part I Values
- Part II Modalities
- 10 Impartiality
- 11 Constitutional Legitimacy
- 12 Sovereignty
- 13 Constituent Power
- 14 Representation
- 15 Deliberation
- 16 Opposition
- 17 The Separation of Powers
- 18 The Rule of Law
- 19 Constitutional Conventions
- 20 Secularism
- 21 Constitutional Review
- 22 Constitutional Interpretation
- 23 Proportionality
- 24 Civil Disobedience
- 25 Constitutional Entrenchment
- 26 Emergency Powers
- 27 Regulation
- 28 Cost–Benefit Analysis
- 29 Revolution
- Part III Institutions
- Part IV Challenges for Constitutional Democracy
- Bibliography
- Index
- References
Summary
The concept of constituent power emerges alongside that of the modern documentary constitution. It expresses the conviction that the authority of the constitution rests on its having been drafted in the name of ‘the people’ who, through an exercise of their constitution-making power, are the authors of that constitution. Conceiving the constitution as an expression of collective self-government, constituent power is therefore closely associated with the concept of popular sovereignty. This chapter examines how constituent power emerged in modern thought, explains its original meaning, sketches its subsequent evolution in thought, and evaluates the role it continues to play in contemporary constitutional discourse.
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- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory , pp. 208 - 224Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
References
Recommended Reading
Arato, A. (2017). The Adventures of the Constituent Power: Beyond Revolutions? Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Böckenförde, E.-W. (2017). The Constituent Power of the People: A Liminal Concept of Constitutional Law. In his Constitutional and Political Theory. Edited by Künkler, M. and Stein, T.. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 168–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dyzenhaus, D. (2012). Constitutionalism in an old key: legality and constituent power. Global Constitutionalism, 1 (2), pp. 229–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Loughlin, M. (2003). The Idea of Public Law, Oxford: Oxford University Press, chap. 6.Google Scholar
Loughlin, M. & Walker, N. (2007). The Paradox of Constitutionalism: Constituent Power and Constitutional Form, Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Napoleon, I. (1910). The Corsican: A Diary of Napoleon’s Life in His Own Words [1804] Johnston, R. M. ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.Google Scholar
Negri, A. (1999). Insurgencies: Constituent Power and the Modern State. Translated by M. Boscagli. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.Google Scholar
Rubinelli, L. (2019). How to think beyond sovereignty: one Sieyès and constituent power. European Journal of Political Theory, 18 (1), 47–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubinelli, L. (2020). Constituent Power: A History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sieyès, E.-J. (2003 [1789]). What is the Third Estate? In Political Writings. Translated by M. Sonenscher. Indianapolis: Hackett, pp. 92–162.Google Scholar
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