Cultural Instruments of Legitimacy in Constitutionalization: Constituent Power Through Ceremony, Ritual, and Symbol

This study explores how ceremonies, rituals, and symbols function in constitution-making as instruments through which constituent power gains legitimacy and social acceptance. While constituent power is often seen as an extra-legal force, its endurance depends not only on legal norms but also on cultural performance. Practices such as public oaths, anthems, and ceremonial readings consecrate the new order, making visible the link between popular will and political authority. Far from mere spectacle, these acts inscribe constitutional moments into collective memory and shape future political belonging. Drawing on law, political science, and cultural anthropology, the study highlights the constitutive role of symbolic practices in producing constitutional order.