Imagining Statehood and Constitutionalism in Europe: Introduction

Abstract: This chapter introduces the whole volume, explaining briefly the concept of constitutional imaginary first, based on our previous work, and also the key aim of the book: to “turn the tables” between the “old” and post-communist Europe, letting the latter to speak for itself and define the terms of the debate between the two. We then present the three themes emerging from post-communist Europe: first, how the nature of statehood transforms when the state integrates into a supranational structure and how the imagined “other” (for example, the enemy, the Soviet Union or even Europe) influences the key concepts of national constitutional law, such as sovereignty, peoplehood or citizenship. The second theme concerns the uses and misuses of history in the construction of constitutional imaginary. Finally, there have been varieties of liberalism at play in the period of post-communist transformation (which from the perspective of the West, was the “end of history”). These need to be analysed separately, before the hegemonic “liberal ideology” can be criticized. The greatest hope we have with this volume is that it will provoke further reflections and debates in both the West and East and that the latter will not only mirror the West, but becomes a true partner in the debate on the current shape and future of Europe. Keywords: Constitutional imaginary; Post-communist Europe; Learning from the East; Transformation of Statehood; Constitutionalisation