The Oxford Handbook of Constitutional Law in Latin America

Abstract The history of constitutional law in Latin America offers a mosaic of national histories, political experiments, and institutional transitions. No matter how distinctive and country-specific these histories and trends might be, this handbook shows that there are a set of commonalities that transcend the geographical contiguity of these countries. The handbook seeks to identify the similarities between institutional outlooks, bodies of rights, declarations, ideological underpinnings, and canons of constitutional thought. The last wave of constitutional change shows that many countries in the region have gone through, which started by the end of the 1980s, was geared towards a commitment to equality in diversity, a recognition of the multi-ethnic origins of the respective societies and an attempt to deepen democracy via participatory channels. This handbook aims to depict the constitutional landscape of Latin America by shedding light on its most important differences and affinities, qualities and drawbacks, and by assessing its overall standing in the global enterprise of democratic constitutionalism.