Museums as Constitutions: A Commentary on Constitutions and Constitution Making

Abstract

Constitutional theorists frequently take the constitutional arrangement as their primary focus of critique. Indeed, for many constitutional scholars, the constitution is presumed as the central place from which to navigate and negotiate political community. However, this approach neglects the ways in which imaginations of political community are also launched at other sites of meaning-making. This commentary reflects on the role of museums in the production of such imaginations. In it, I examine the relationship between museums, constituting, and constitution-making.