The Law and Theory Cluster and Public Law Cluster at the University of Essex are delighted to be welcoming Massimo Fichera, Associate Professor of Philosophy of Law at the University of Maastricht on Wednesday 19 March 2025 at 2pm (UK time) for a Zoom session in which Massimo will introduce his paper ‘Communal Constitutionalism and the Notion of Legitimate Authority’. There will also be opportunity to discuss this paper with Massimo within the Zoom session itself, so please do join this session for what will no doubt be an interesting and engaging discussion.
Massimo has also kindly provided the following abstract:
Recent events suggest that, as the Western liberal consensus on some of the fundamental premises of constitutional democracy is deeply questioned, a call for a reformulation of, or at least a renewed reflection on familiar categories and concepts is needed. This paper aims to develop the main features of a form of constitutionalism, which is claimed to be viable also for periods of high instability. The argument revolves around the notion of legitimate authority, which is elaborated on the basis of the meta-constitutional rationale of security. Legitimate authority is supposed to be recognized by citizens over time, following a process of deliberation over the conditions that allow the survival of the polity in its best light. Although the ‘communal’ element is traced in a first shift – from reciprocity to mutuality – it is also problematized when analysing a second shift – from the multitude to the people. A double claim, both descriptive and normative, is then put forward through the formula of discursive constituent power.
The research clusters hope that you can join this discussion – please do add it to your diary on Wednesday 19 March 2025 at 2pm (UK time). To join the meeting on the day, click here.
Essex CAJI 
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