Présentation

Malgré le rejet des 2 projets de constitution, l’expérience chilienne peut être considérée comme un paradigme topique des nouvelles formes de rédaction des constitutions dans le monde.

Le colloque, qui s'inscrit dans le projet CASA 2025, permettra de déterminer si le processus chilien ouvre la voie à de nouvelles formes d’élaboration des Constitutions pour ce XXIe siècle. Une telle question présente un intérêt certain, y compris pour notre pays. En effet, bien que la France soit actuellement dotée d’une Constitution particulièrement stable et solide (qui, en février 2024, est devenue la doyenne des Constitutions françaises), celle-ci fait l’objet de nombreuses contestations qui pourraient mettre en cause son existence. Il est donc utile et important que la France anticipe cette question et soit en mesure de faire le point sur toutes les avancées mondiales en matière d’élaboration des constitutions.

Between 2019 and 2023, Chile underwent a unique constitutionmaking process. While the people is often left out of the process of proposing, drafting, and approving a new Constitution, Chile chose to closely involve its citizens through gender balanced Constituent Assemblies and referendums. However, at the end of this process, neither of the two draft Constitutions was adopted. Despite this failure, the Chilean experience can be seen as a topical paradigm for new forms of constitution-making around the world. Its contributions, but also its pitfalls, have already been widely analyzed and studied in previous scientific events (May 23, 2023 in Bordeaux and February 8-9, 2024 in Pau).

This symposium, organized in Bordeaux on October 9-10, 2025, is a continuation of these reflections and broadens the focus to assess the various constituent processes implemented around the world since the beginning of the 21st century. National and international specialists in constituent processes, from various disciplines, will convene to determine whether the 21st century is paving the way for a profound change in the procedures, writing styles, and content of Constitutions. In the face of the various political, societal, and environmental transformations currently underway, should constituent power resort to the traditional tools developed in the 18th century, or should it demonstrate constituent creativity ?

Programme

October 9, 2025

9h00 : Welcome speeches
Xavier Prévost, Pr. Université de Bordeaux
Hubert Alcaraz, Pr. Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour
Carolina Cerda-Guzman, Associate Pr. Université de Bordeaux
Rym Fassi-Fihri, Associate Pr. Université de Limoges
Maxime Millon, PhD student Université de Bordeaux
Yaodia Senou-Dumartin, Researcher, IRSEM

9h30 : Why write (or not) a Constitution in the 21st Century ?
Xavier Philippe, Pr. Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

The Chilean experience 2019-2023 : New Model or Failure ?

10h00 : The experience from within. How Chile tried to protect minorities’ rights during the constituent process 2019-2023
Catalina Lagos, Pr. Universidad Diego Portales, Member of the Chilean Constitutional Tribunal and former member of the Chilean Experts Committee in charge of writing the 2023 Draft Constitution

10h30 : Coffee break

10h45 : The Chilean experience from a Latin American perspective
Roberto Gargarella, Pr. Universidad Torcuato Di Tella

11h15 : How not to write a Constitution. Lessons from Chile
Stefan Voigt, Pr. University of Hamburg

11h45 : Debate and discussions

12h15 : Lunch break

The constituent process in the 21st Century : How to write and adopt Constitutions ?

14h00 : The Irish experience
Marie Luce Paris, Associate Pr. in Law at UCD Sutherland School of Law
David Farrell, Full Pr. of Politics at the School of Politics and International Relations of UCD

14h30 : How to let the citizenship draft the Constitution ?
Sumit Bisarya, Head of Constitution Building International IDEA

15h00 : The Constituent Assembly of the 21st Century
Margaux Bouaziz, Pr. Université de Bourgogne

15h30 : Coffee break

16h00 : When and why we should organize a referendum ?
Marthe Fatin-Rouge Stefanini, Directrice de recherches CNRS, Aix Marseille Université

16h30 : A Constitution written by AI
Oreste Pollicino, Pr. Università Bocconi

17h00 : Debate and discussions

17h30 : End of the firth day

October 10, 2025

The Shape of the Constitutions in the 21st Century : which style ?

9h30 : Culture and ways of writing a Constitution
Fabrice Hourquebie, Pr. Université de Bordeaux

10h00 : The size of the Constitutions
Geoffroy Herzog, Associate Pr. Université de Limoges

10h30 : Coffee break

10h45 : Feminist perspectives on constitution-making
Camille Barbe, PhD Student Université de Bordeaux

11h15 : Writing a Constitution for the Nature
Olivier Dubos, Pr. Université de Bordeaux

11h45 : Debate and discussions

12h15 : Lunch break

The content of the Constitutions in the 21st Century : are they new constitutional matters ?

14h00 : Digital constitutionalism
Pauline Turk, Pr. Université de Nice

14h30 : New Fundamental Rights in the last Constitutions in Africa
Jonathan M’Piga, PhD Student Université de Bordeaux

15h00 : Constitutions and International Human Rights
Hélène Tigroudja, Pr. Aix-Marseille Université, Member of the UN Human Rights Committee

15h30 : Coffee break

15h45 : New Separation of Powers in the 21st Century
Aileen Kavanagh, Pr. Trinity College Dublin

16h15 : Constitution and Rule of Law in the 21st Century
Laurent Pech, Pr. University College Dublin, Dean of Law

16h45 : Debate and discussions

17h15 : Closing speech
Michel Troper, Pr. Emeritus Université Paris Nanterre

17h30 : Closure

For more informations : cerccle@u-bordeaux.fr