The Story of Constitutions: Discovering the We in Us [Hardcover]

Adopts an interdisciplinary approach to trace the surprising story of written constitutions since the agricultural revolution of c.10,000 B.C.Wim Voermans traces the surprising story of constitutions since the agricultural revolution of c.10,000 B.C. Adopting a multi-disciplinary approach, Voermans shows how human evolution, human nature and the history of thought have all played their part in shaping modern constitutions, and how, in turn, constitutions have shaped our societies.Wim Voermans traces the surprising story of constitutions since the agricultural revolution of c.10,000 B.C. Adopting a multi-disciplinary approach, Voermans shows how human evolution, human nature and the history of thought have all played their part in shaping modern constitutions, and how, in turn, constitutions have shaped our societies.Today, 189 out of 193 officially recognised nation-states have a written constitution, and 75% of these have been ratified since 1975. How did this worldwide diffusion of constitutions come about? In this book, Wim Voermans traces the varied and surprising story of constitutions since the agricultural revolution of c.10,000 bce. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, Voermans shows how human evolution, human nature and the history of thought have all played their part in shaping modern constitutions. Constitutions, in turn, have shaped our societies, creating imagined communities of trust and recognition that allow us to successfully co-operate with one another. Engagingly and wittily told, the story of constitutions is vital to understanding our world, our civilisations and, most significantly, ourselves.1. Introduction: the century of constitutions; Part I. Constitutional Diffusion: 2. Constitutions everywhere; 3. The origin of constitutions; Part II. The History of the Constitution: 4. Precursors; 5. Etched into collective memory: ancient constitutions; 6. Roman roots; 7. Mediaeval constitutions; 8. Early-modern constitutions; 9. Generations: the firló«