Internationalised Constitution Making and State Formation: Negotiating Peace and Statehood in South Sudan and Somaliland (Comparative Constitutional Change) - Softcover

Seidel, Katrin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1032636203 ISBN 13: 9781032636207

Publisher: Routledge, 2026

Synopsis

This book presents an in-depth and nuanced interdisciplinary and comparative analysis of (post-)conflict constitution-making in South Sudan and Somaliland, exploring the ways in which the two emerging states negotiate statehood in a globalised world. It critically examines the transfer of international constitution-making models as part of international rule of law promotion frameworks. Specific emphasis is placed on the socio-cultural translation dynamics of these models in conflict settings. The comparative study explores the tensions between state sovereignty and international interventions, examining whether international constitution-making involvement fosters the production of societal consensus or inadvertently impedes efforts to achieve stability and peace. By focusing on constitutional law-making, the book sheds light on how normative ideas are transformed in negotiations and opens up new analytical avenues for re-thinking conventional constitution-making practices. It critically reconsiders the assumption that every emerging state requires a written constitution, alongside the state-centred notion of sovereignty underpinning this paradigm. Additionally, the study addresses the power and knowledge hierarchies inherent in international interventions, providing empirical data from post-conflict African contexts. The book will be of interest to academics, researchers, and policy-makers working in the areas of comparative public law, constitutionalism, sociology of law, anthropology, legal geography, international relations, political science, and African studies.

About this title

About the Author

Katrin Seidel is a habilitated adjunct professor, currently working as a senior researcher at the European Center of Just Transition Research and Impact-Driven Transfer at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. She was Acting Professor for Critical African Studies at the Leipzig University and Senior Research Fellow in the Law & Anthropology Department of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. Based on her interdisciplinary background in law, African/Asian studies, and anthropology, her research is situated at the intersection of legal pluralism, statehood and governance, conflict resolution, and postcolonialism.

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1032636203
• ISBN 13: 9781032636207
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 314