Constitutionalized by the Past. The Role of National Identity and Collective Sense of Experience in Central European Constitutionalization

The primary aim of this article is to show the particularities of Central European constitutionalization after the fall of communism. Its peculiarity lies in the systemic search for the legitimacy of new communities in experiences of the past. This particularity is examined within the framework of a consideration of the contemporary understanding of the concept of Central Europe. This is particularly necessary in the light of attempts (in this area) to combine the universal values of the Western world with references to communitarian elements, usually national ones. The main idea of the article is to identify the hybrid character of Central European political communities. This is because, at the moment of constitutionalization, they decided to merge national and liberal-democratic values.