Law as Passion: Systems Theory and Constitutional Theory in Peripheral Modernity

Inspired by the works of Professor Marcelo Neves, in this book colleagues come together to explore how their research has been influenced by non-European and post-colonial approaches. With a foreword by Karl-Heinz Ladeur, it features essays written by leading scholars in the fields of sociology of law and constitutional theory – including Hauke Brunkhorst, Darío Rodrígues, Kimmo Nuotio and Pablo Holmes.

The content is divided into four sections, the first of which, “Law, State, and Global Crisis,” covers topics related to the modern constitutional state, the crisis of global capitalism, and the global rule of law. The second, “Symbolic Constitutionalization,” analyzes challenges to constitutionalism in the “Peripheral Modernity.” The authors in the third section examine how the concept of “Transconstitutionalism” can shed new light on contemporary debates concerning global public law. In turn, the last section of the book, “Systems Theory and Public Law,” addresses systems theory issues in the fields of legal history and administrative law.

The book presents a relevant and original discussion encompassing such diverse fields as constitutional theory, international law, systems theory, and sociology of constitutions.