Buddhism and Comparative Constitutional Law

Tom Ginsburg is the Leo Spitz Professor of International Law at the University of Chicago and a Research Professor at the American Bar Foundation. Benjamin Schonthal is Professor of Buddhist Studies and Head of the Religion Programme at the University of Otago, where he also Co-directs the Otago Centre for Law and Society.

• 1. Introduction: mapping the Buddhist-constitutional complex in Asia Tom Ginsburg and Benjamin Schonthal; Part I. Religious and Political Underpinnings: 2. Buddhism and constitutionalism in precolonial Southeast Asia D. Christian Lammerts; 3. Theorizing constitutionalism in Buddhist-dominant Asian polities Asanga Welikala; Part II. The Himalayas: 4. The Zhabdrung's legacy: Buddhism and constitutional transformation in Bhutan Richard W. Whitecross; 5. The 'trick of law': the hermeneutics of Early Buddhist law in Tibet Martin A. Mills; 6. Tibetan Buddhist monastic constitutional law and governmental constitutional law: mutual influences? Berthe Jansen; Part III. South and Southeast Asia: 7. Guardians of the law: Sinhala language and Buddhist reformation in post-war Sri Lanka Krishantha Fedricks; 8. Thai constitutions as a battle ground for political authority: Barami versus 'vox populi' Khemthong Tonsakulrungruang; 9. Establishing the king as the source of the constitution: shifting 'bricolaged' narratives of Buddhist kingship from Siam to Thailand Eugénie Mérieau; 10. Buddhist constitutionalism beyond constitutional law: Buddhist statecraft and military ideology in Myanmar Iselin Frydenlund; 11. Reconstituting the divided Sangha: Buddhist authority in post-conflict Cambodia Benjamin Lawrence; Part IV. North and Northeast Asia: 12. Constitutional Buddhism: Japanese Buddhists and constitutional law Levi McLaughlin; 13. Governing Buddhism in Vietnam Bui Ngoc Son; 14. The Buddhist Association of China and constitutional law in Buddhist majority nations: the international channels of influence André Laliberté; 15. Governing 'Lamaism' on the 'frontier': Buddhism and law in early twentieth century Inner Mongolia Daigengna Duoer; 16. Buddhist constitutional battlegrounds: using the courts to litigate monastic celibacy in South Korea (1955–1970) Mark A. Nathan; Part V. Comparative Perspectives: 17. On the familiar pleasures of estrangement Deepa Das Acevedo; 18. Buddhism and constitutionalism: a comparison with the canon law Richard H. Helmholz; 19. Islam and constitutional law Clark Lombardi.

'This comprehensive collection brings together a stimulating selection of case studies from experts on Buddhism, law, and constitutions. Its multi-disciplinary perspective raises much needed comparative questions about the relations between Buddhist ideas and constitutional principles. Ultimately, the editors ask what Buddhism is and what forms the Buddhist–constitutional complex, which they put at the heart of this excellent volume.' Fernanda Pirie, University of Oxford