Although it has been claimed that we live in an age of constitutionalism national and
transnational constitutions neither appear as uniform models nor as uncontested means of
setting the rules of the game in the political economic or religious domain. This book aims
to convince readers of a cultural perspective on constitutions. Tying in with the research
approach of the Käte Hamburger Center Law as Culture the term constitutional culture evokes
the multidimensional life of a constitution that cannot be restricted to its - though essential
- textual normative provisions and authorized interpreters. Grasping the foundational force and
societal influence of constitutions by means of cultural theory and analysis also calls for the
investigation of narratives symbols rituals materials and places in which constitutions are
framed and reproduced. With this objective in mind the contributions to this volume written
by lawyers sociologists and political scientists illuminate different dimensions of the
cultural manifestation of constitutions as well as contemporary legal political and social
struggles arising around their shape and range of influence in various regions of the world.
