A forthcoming Cambridge Handbook on Unwritten Constitutionalism has issued an open call for a limited number of chapters from scholars working on constitutional law, comparative law, legal theory and related interdisciplinary fields.
The Handbook will examine unwritten constitutionalism from comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives, including its relationship with written constitutionalism, Indigenous legal traditions and transformative constitutionalism.
Call for Chapters on Unwritten Constitutionalism
The call seeks research that explores the different ways constitutional norms, traditions and principles develop and operate beyond formally written constitutional texts.
The editors are particularly interested in scholarship examining the relationship between written and unwritten forms of constitutionalism and the methodological challenges involved in identifying and describing legal traditions as either “written” or “unwritten”.
The call may be particularly relevant to researchers and academics working in constitutional law, comparative constitutional law, legal history, jurisprudence, Indigenous legal traditions and decolonial legal studies.
Themes and Areas of Interest
Proposals are particularly welcomed on Indigenous constitutionalisms, written and oral legal traditions, and the role of writing as a potentially decolonial or colonial practice.
The Handbook will also consider methodological questions surrounding the classification of traditions as written or unwritten. Another area of interest is the role of writing the unwritten in the preservation of language and legal traditions.
Contributions from scholars in the Global South are particularly encouraged. Proposals focusing on jurisdictions in Central and South America are also welcomed.
Who Can Submit
The call is relevant to scholars and researchers whose work engages with constitutionalism from comparative, interdisciplinary, historical, Indigenous or theoretical perspectives.
Researchers examining constitutional traditions outside conventional written constitutional frameworks may find the call particularly relevant to their academic work.
Submission Guidelines
Interested scholars are invited to submit a proposal of up to 250 words outlining their proposed chapter.
The call is for a limited number of chapters, and proposals should clearly indicate the subject and approach of the proposed contribution.
Abstract/Proposal Length: Up to 250 words
Deadline: 30 October 2026
Submission Email: unwritten-constitutionalism.rewi@hu-berlin.de
Researchers working on constitutional law, Indigenous legal traditions, comparative constitutionalism and decolonial approaches to law are encouraged to consider submitting their proposals before the deadline.
