996026 Globalization or peripherization: how to conceive of modern democracies in a World Society? (BS) (WiSe 2017/2018)

A. Topics
The seminar is divided in three topics.
The first topic focusses initially on the emergence of constitution of constitutionalism and its democratic claims in the dominating centres of the modern society as a world society. Next, the transition from constitutionalism to transconstitutionalism will be the theme. After discussing the constitutional nationalism, cosmopolitan constitutional unity, and fragmentary constitutional pluralism, the seminar shall present the concept of a constitutionalism without constitution beyond the state and pluralism. In this regard, the object of the seminar will be the limits and possibilities of transconstitutionalism in an asymmetric world society.
The second topic concerns the distinction between central and peripheral modernity as a difference in the world society. In this context, it will be especially relevant to consider the specific features of law and constitution in peripheral modernity. Questions of systemic corruption will be linked to problems of structural exclusion, considering their impact on the accomplishment and enforcement of democratic constitution.
The third topic deals with the idea of transdemocracy. It goes across state boundaries and beyond “We, the People”, that is popular sovereignty, in order to emphasize the sustainable responsiveness for other peoples in the same world society. It is a question of sustainability of democracy. It will be discussed the thesis that the limited self-understanding of democracy in the dominating centers, as if democracy has to do with autarchic, isolated societies, turns to ecological social problems in the world society. In this context, the seminar intends to develop an ecological approach to democracy with the background of Niklas Luhmann’s systems theory, but from a heterodox, critical perspective.

B. Method and Time
The seminar will consist in presentations and discussions held by the Professor and the attendants. During the first session, the attendants will briefly present the texts (10-15 minutes), and then a moderated debate will take place. During the second session, the Professor will present the topics.

C. Schedule and Bibliography
● First Day (25.01.2018)
09 am – 12 am
▪ Session 1: Attendants presentation and discussion
Luhmann, Niklas (1997). “Globalization or World society: How to conceive of modern society?”, International Review of Sociology: Revue Internationale de Sociologie, 7:1, 67-79, DOI: 10.1080/03906701.1997.9971223
Teubner, Gunther (2004). ‘Societal Constitutionalism: Alternatives to State-centred Constitutional theory?’, in C. Joerges, I.-J. Sand, and G. Teubner (eds.), Transnational Governance and Constititionalism. Oxford: Hart, pp. 3-28.
▪ Session 2: First topic
From constitutionalism to transconstitutionalism
02 pm – 5 pm
▪ Session 3: Attendants presentation and discussion
Neves, Marcelo (2005). “Between Under-Integration and Over-Integration: Not Taking Citizenship Seriously”. In: Souza, Jessé; Sinder, Valter (Eds.). Imagining Brazil. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. p. 61–90.
Neves, Marcelo (2017). “From Constitutionalism to Transconstitutionalism: Beyond Constitutional Nationalism, Cosmopolitan Constitutional Unity and Fragmentary Constitutional Pluralism”. In: Christian Thornhill and Paul Blokker (eds). Sociological Constitutionalism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 267-312.
▪ Session 4: Second topic
Between the center and periphery of world society: systemic corruption and structural exclusion

● Second Day (26.01.2018)
09 am – 12 am
▪ Session 5: Attendants presentation and discussion
Parsons, Talcott. “Full Citizenship for the Negro American? A Sociological Problem”. Daedalus, v. 94, n. 4, p. 1009–1054, 1965.
Sala-Molins, Louis (2006). The Dark Side of the Light: Slavery and the French Enlightenment. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, Preface and Chapter 2.
▪ Session 6: Second/Third topic
Democratic constitutions? The other side of constitutionalism
▪ Session 7: Attendants presentation and discussion
Neves, Marcelo (2017). “From Transconstitutionalism to Transdemocracy”. European Law Journal, special issue (forthcoming).
▪ Session 8: Third topic
From democracy to transdemocracy: the inevitable ecological social problems in world society

D. Complementary Bibliography
Ackerman, Bruce (1997). “The Rise of World Constitutionalism”. Virginia Law Review 83, pp. 771-97.
Bonilla, Daniel. “Introduction: Toward a Constitutionalism of the Global South”. In: D. Bonilla. Constitutionalism of the Global South. Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013,
Gargarella, Roberto. Latin American Constitutionalism, 1810-2010: The Engine Room of the Constitution. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Habermas, Jürgen (2001). Post-National Constellation: Political Essays. Cambridge: Polity Press/Oxford: Blackwell.
Jackson, Vicki C. (2005). “Constitutional Comparisons: Convergence, Resistance, Engagement”. In: Harvard Law Review, vol. 119, pp. 109-28.
Luhmann, Niklas (1989). Ecological Communication. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
___ (2004). Law as a Social System. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Neves, Marcelo (2013). Transconstitutionalism. Oxford: Hart, 2013.
___ (2016a). “(Dis)Solving Constitutional Problems: Transconstitutionalism beyond Collisions”. In: Kerstin Blome, Andreas Fischer-Lescano, Hannah Franzki, Nora Markard, and Stefan Oeter (eds), Contested Regime Collisions: Norm Fragmentation in World Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016, pp. 169-197.
___ (2016b). “Paradoxes of transconstitutionalism in Latin America”. In Alberto Febbrajo, Giancarlo Corsi (eds). Sociology of Constitutions. A Paradoxical Perspective. Routledge, Oxford/New York 2016, pp. 229-256.
___ (2018/2019?). Symbolic Constitutionalization (forthcoming).
Teubner, Gunther (2012). Constitutional Fragments: Societal Constitutionalism and Globalization. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Thornhill, Chris (2011). A Sociology of Constitutions. Constitutions and State Legitimacy in Historical-Sociological Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Thornhill, Chris / Blokker, Paul (eds) (2017). Sociological Constitutionalism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Tully, James (2007). ‘The Imperialism of Modern Constitutional Democracy’, in: M. Loughlin and N. Walker (eds.), The Paradox of Constitutionalism: Constituent Power and Constitutional Form. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 315-338.