Workshop on Buddhism and Comparative Constitutional Law: Chicago, IL Fall 2019

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This proposed workshop promises to open up a new subfield in comparative constitutional studies. There is a large and rich literature on the relationship between Islam and constitutionalism, and an older historical literature on the central place of Canon law in the Western legal tradition. Writing on Buddhist law is scarce in general, and especially so with regard to constitutional thought. This is particularly problematic when Buddhist actors are playing an important role in the constitutional politics of many countries. To date, policy analysis and scholarship has not fully grappled with the growing importance of Buddhist actors and institutions on the practice, conceptualization and formation of constitutional law. This workshop and its outputs will therefore help inform policy understandings of the interaction of these two major forces in years to come. This workshop will produce publications and collaborations, supporting new researchers and identifying a clear research agenda for studying Buddhism and public law both within the academy and the policy community. Co-chaired by two scholars with complementary training and expertise--in political and comparative approaches to constitutional law and historical and social scientific study of Buddhism, respectively--it will consist of six panels, bringing together scholars of law and socio-legal studies with scholars of politics, history and religion, including graduate students and early-career scholars. Panelists will produce original research on Buddhism and constitutional law in particular Asian jurisdictions, while also reflecting from comparative perspectives, including international law, American and Asian constitutional law, and other traditions of religious law (Hindu law, Islamic law, Canon law). One panel will place contemporary constitutional practice and politics in a longer span of pre-nineteenth-century Asian history, grounding discussions of the constitutional present in the region's rich historical settings. The workshop will produce an edited volume in a prominent series and a journal section, while also supporting graduate student mentoring and informing policy-making.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.