Introduction

Marinos Diamantides, Michel Rosenfeld and Giuseppe Martinico

A chapter in Research Handbook on the Law and Politics of Sovereignty, 2026, pp 1-9 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Sovereignty remains a central yet highly contested concept in legal theory, constitutional and international law, political science, and international relations. Long recognized as an “essentially contested concept”, its meaning has been debated and reinterpreted from its ancient roots through the Middle Ages to today. Contemporary globalisation, transnational legal orders, and the constitutionalization of international and domestic norms have intensified disputes over sovereignty's role. Opinions diverge sharply: some call for revising or decoupling sovereignty from the nation-state, others reject it as obsolete, while still others advocate reimagining it to preserve its enduring symbolic and political significance in a rapidly transforming world.

Keywords: Globalisation; Legal orders; Constitutionalisation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781803926346
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