Handbook

Civil War and revolution gave birth to modern constitutionalism, and they continue to shape its development. The Will of the People explores the relationship between law and popular self determination by focusing on the theory and history of revolutionary politics. The course situates theories in their historical context and examine their contemporary relevance in the activities of existing social movements.

The course engages with these themes by focusing on two ideas that are fundamental modern constitutionalism, namely, popular sovereignty and constituent power. It looks at the way these ideas were developed by modern republicans like Rousseau and Sieyes. It engages with the critique of liberal democratic constitutionalism that emerged in response to the revolutionary movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. It does so by examining the Marxist and anarchist claim that popular self-determination can only be realised through a revolution that eliminates capitalism and the bourgeois state; and the reactionary argument that democracy undermines law, order and morality. The course also analyses the work of theorists grappling with ideas of popular sovereignty and constituent power under more contemporary conditions. This may include, for example, debates around populism, communisation theory, or the work of Peter Hallward, Antonio Negri, and Hannah Arendt.