From Words to Worlds

Beau Breslin is a professor of government and director of the First-Year Experience at Skidmore College. He is the author of The Communitarian Constitution, also published by Johns Hopkins.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Constitutional Order2. Constitutional Tansformation3. Constitutional Aspiration4. Constitutional Design5. Constitutional Conflict6. Constitutional Recognition7. Constitutional Empowerment8. Constitutional LimitsConclusion: Constitutional FuturesNotesBibliographyIndex

This is an important work... written by a scholar who knows how to express complex ideas clearly and is well versed in the literature on public law, political theory, and comparative constitutionalism. -- Mark Graber Balkinization blog 2009 From Words to Worlds provides a refreshing break from the common focus on the U.S. Constitution in favor of a global perspective that explores the functions of constitutions in many different societies. Harvard Law Review 2009 One of the most successful works of genuinely comparative constitutional theory to emerge recently... Breslin's writing is also readily accessible, and the book could easily be assigned to undergraduates. His points are clearly developed, and his examples are illuminating. -- Keith E. Whittington Law and Politics Book Review 2009 Breslin leaves no stone unturned in his analysis of constitutionalism as a theoretical construct and a modus operandi for relatively successful political systems... Recommended. Choice 2009 From Words to Worlds is an excellent introduction to constitutional design. Each chapter is self-contained and can be read in isolation, which works well for teaching purposes. The book also summarizes concisely the key scholarly works relevant to the topics he discusses. -- Paul Chen Law and Society Review 2010 Breslin's erudite book elucidates the reasons a people might engage in constitutional creation in the first place-the point at which dreams are the most glorious and words are the most inspirational. What follows can never match a people's sheer audacity in that moment, but with Breslin's helpful prompting, it may one day be possible to test their leap of faith. -- Robert L. Tsai Perspectives on Politics 2010