Comparing Constitutional Democracy in the European Union and India: An Introduction
Democratic Constitutionalism in India and the European Union: Comparing the Law of Democracy in Continental Polities eds. P. Dann & A. Thiruvengadam, Edward Elgar Publishing 2021, Forthcoming
40 Pages Posted: 30 Sep 2020
Date Written: August 14, 2020
Abstract
This chapter introduces a volume that aims to fill an astonishing gap in the burgeoning literature on comparative constitutional studies: a comparison of democratic constitutionalism in India and the EU. It posits that while these two polities seem hard to compare at first sight (a state in the Global South and a regional organization in the Global North), they share a certain socio-political quality as continental polities beyond the conventional understanding (and size) of nation-states. And equally importantly, they share a core belief and a normative anchor – that democracy is possible even in vastly diverse societies of continental scale and that a constitutional framework is best able to secure the ideals of collective autonomy and individual dignity. Against this background, the chapter sketches the larger context of the underlying research project and its three larger aims: to start a comparative conversation about Indian and European experiences of constitutionalism; to showcase a comparative approach that we call ‘slow comparison’; and to deepen our understanding of democratic constitutionalism and the law of democracy in multinational and socio-culturally diverse polities.
Keywords: India, European Union, democratic constitutionalism, ‘slow comparison’, law of democracy
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