Welcome to the online book launch seminar of Constituent Power: Law, Popular Rule and Politics (EUP 2020), co-edited by Matilda Arvidsson (Gothenburg), Leila Brännström (Lund) and Panu Minkkinen (Helsinki).

Recent social and political developments, including the presidential elections in the United States, antidemocratic state policies in Hungary and Poland, and the political climate in the rest of Europe have brought questions relating to the position and composition of ‘the people’ in constitutional democracies to the forefront. This book confronts these questions head on as leading scholars across the fields of law, legal theory, political theory and history explore the contemporary problems facing constitutional democracies.

With a strong focus on constitutional law, this book examines the legal as well as the political power of ‘the people’ in constitutional democracies. Bringing together an international range of contributors from the USA, Latin America, the UK and continental Europe, it explores the complex relationship between constitutional democracy and ‘the people’. Contributors explore this relationship through the lens of radical democracy, engaging with the work of key figures such as Hannah Arendt, Carl Schmitt, Claude Lefort and Jacques Rancière.

Contributors to the book include (in alphabetical order):

• Benjamin Arditi (UNAM),
• Leila Brännström (Lund),
• Hjalmar Falk (Gothenburg),
• Eduardo Gill-Pedro (Lund),
• Ari Hirvonen (Helsinki),
• Susanna Lindroos-Hovinheimo (Helsinki),
• Hanna Lukkari (Helsinki),
• Panu Minkkinen (Helsinki),
• Juho Turpeinen (Helsinki),
• Camila Vergara (Columbia),
• Lars Vinx (Cambridge),
• Jon Wittrock (Malmö), and
• Emily Zakin (Miami, OH).

For more information on the book and for orders, please visit the publisher’s webpage.

PROGRAMME

In addition to an introduction of the book, the launch seminar programme includes prepared comments from Professor Hans Lindahl (Tilburg) and Dr Lucia Rubinelli (Cambridge).

• 6:00pm EET Seminar opening
  Panu Minkkinen (Helsinki)
• 6:05pm EET Introduction of the book
  Co-editors
• 6:20pm EET Prepared comments
  Hans Lindahl (Tilburg)
  Lucia Rubinelli (Cambridge)
• 6:50pm EET Q&A and discussion
• 7:30pm EET End of seminar

The event is open to all interested, but registration is required. Kindly register by filling in this form by Monday, 11 January 2021. You will receive the Zoom link by email after registrations have been successfully completed. All registration data will be deleted after the event.