Conference on Transnational Societal Constitutionalism
17-19 MAY 2012How can global “constitutional problems”, such as human rights violations by corporations or the catastrophic risks of global capital markets, be dealt with? Societal spheres have to develop their own self-limitative structures, Gunther Teubner suggests in his recently published book "Constitutional Fragments". The conference on "Transnational Societal Constitutionalism" discussed this idea and analyzed under which conditions such constitutional structures emerge and where in social reality they can currently be observed. The following questions became relevant during the conference:
Can constitutions in fact emerge on a transnational level and how may transnational constitution making be described (Christopher Thornhill)?
Are societal sectors outside the political arena able to adapt a "political logic" (Emilios Christodoulidis) and develop a discourse on common goods (Ugo Mattei)?
Do constitutions have to be developed by a collective (Hans Lindahl) or even a formal organization (Poul Kjaer)?
Which role does territory play for transnational constitution making (Saskia Sassen)?
May constitutions also have to develop a temporal dimension (Riccardo Prandini)?
How does the idea of human rights have to be further developed (Florian Rödl)?
And how can we deal with constitutional pluralism in world society (Paul Schiff Berman, Christian Joerges)?
Where in global society do constitutional structures currently emerge:
- In the setting of international financial accounting standards (Moritz Renner)?
- In the societal production of knowledge, such as open-source movementsor massive author collaboration projects (Dan Wielsch)?
- In certification schemes on sustainable forestry and fishery (Jaye Ellis)?
- In NGO protests against large companies and the increasing adaption of CSR commitments (Larry Cata Backer, Anna Beckers)?
From 17 until 19 May 2012, Gunther Teubner and Anna Beckers organised an international conference on Transnational Societal Constitutionalism. The conference was hosted by HiiL,
the International University College of Turin (IUC) and the Collegio Carlo Alberto. It took place at the Collegio Carlo Alberto, Torino.
Download the background paper.
For more details on Gunther Teubner's new book 'Constitutional Fragments' click here. In addition, he co-edited the volume on The Financial Crisis in Constitutional Perspective: The Dark Side of Functional Differentiation (Hart Publishing).
Videos taped during the conference can be found here.
M Steinbeis, ‘Occupy the law!’, Article / Conference report published simultaneously in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung F.A.Z. on 23 May 2012 and on the German language Verfassungsblog. Click here for the English translation.
Programme
Thursday, May 17th
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09:30 - 10:00 |
Welcome & Registration |
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10:00 - 10:30 |
Introduction: New constitutional conflicts |
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I. Beyond nation state constitutions: The move to the ‘societal’ and to the ‘transnational’ |
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10:30 - 11:20 |
A sociology of constituent power: The political code of transnational societal constitutions |
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11:20 - 11:50 |
Coffee break & posters |
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11:50 - 12:40 |
The elusive social dimension of ‘societal constitutionalism’ |
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II. New constitutional subjects: Transnational regimes, the cosmopolitan state, |
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12:40 -13:30 |
Constitutionalism and global private ordering |
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13:30 - 15:00 |
Lunch break & posters |
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15:00 - 15:50 |
We and cyberlaw: Constitutionalism and the inclusion/exclusion difference |
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15:50 - 16:40 |
Enabling constitutions: The new constitutional framework in |
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16:40 - 17:10 |
Coffee break & posters |
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17:10 - 18:00 |
Emergent globally bordered spaces: Anti-terrorism, global finance, and so much more |
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18:00 |
End |
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Friday, May 18th |
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III. Constitutional arenas |
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09:30 - 10:20 |
Occupy the system! Societal constitutionalism and the global economy |
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10:20 - 11:10 |
Private governance of knowledge: Societally crafted IP regimes |
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11:10 - 11:40 |
Coffee break & posters |
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11:40 - 12:30 |
Constitution making and constitutive power of the commons |
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12:30 - 14:00 |
Lunch break & posters |
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14:00 - 14:50 |
Constitutionalisation of non-governmental certification programmes |
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IV. Collisions of transnational constitutions |
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14:50 - 15:40 |
Procedural principles for managing global legal pluralism |
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15:40 - 16:10 |
Coffee break & posters |
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16:10 - 17:00 |
Conflicts-law constitutionalism, societal constitutionalism and |
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17:00 |
End |
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Saturday, May 19th |
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09:30 - 10:20 |
The constitutionalism of trans-normative Law – Towards |
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V. Human rights and private power |
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10:20 - 11:10 |
Fundamental rights, private law and societal constitution: |
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11:10 - 11:40 |
Coffee break & posters |
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11:40 - 12:30 |
Corporate constitutionalism from below: The role of NGOs |
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12:30 - 13:20 |
Hierarchical power arrangements and horizontal effects in human rights regimes |
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13:20 |
End |
Gunther Teubner
Gunther Teubner is a professor of Private Law and Legal Sociology, Principal Investigator, Excellence Cluster "The Formation of Normative Orders", Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main. Professor, International University College, Torino. On the periode of 2009 - 2010,
Gunther Teubner held position as UM - HiiL Visiting Chair on Internationalisation of Law.
For more information and registration, please contact:
Anna Beckers | PhD researcher
Appointed within the UM - HiiL Chair on the Internationalisation of Law
+31 43 388 3138 | anna.beckers@maastrichtuniversity.nl
