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"This book offers a deeper reflection on intolerance in politics and society today. It explains why the representation and visibility of minorities has historically been contested, and why constitutional law is so important to protect them today. Examples come from across the liberal-illiberal divide: France, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Poland. "--
List of contents
1. What is constitutional intolerance?; 2. Governing religious difference: toleration as legal practice; 3. Toleration, time and the other; 4. National identity, publicness, and public space; 5. Dynamic interpretation of constitutional concepts: laïcité in France; 6. Ad-libitum use of constitutional concepts: public order in the Netherlands; 7. Constitutional identity as a political instrument: new fundamental law in Hungary; 8. Pseudo-constitutional repertoires: the 'LGBT-free zones' in Poland; 9. Conclusion: constitutional intolerance in context; Bibliography.
About the author
Marietta van der Tol specialises in the comparative study of religion in constitutional law, politics and society. She obtained graduate degrees in law, history (Utrecht University) and religion (Yale University), before completing her doctorate in Politics at the University of Cambridge. She leads the Protestant Political Thought-network, critiquing Christian support for far-right politics.
Summary
Constitutional Intolerance offers a deeper reflection on intolerance in politics and society today, explaining why minorities face the contestation of their public visibility, and how the law could protect them. Van der Tol refers to historical practices of toleration, distilling from it the category of 'the other' to the political community, whose presence, representation, and visibility is not self-evident and is often subject to regulation. The book considers 'the other' in the context of modern constitutions, with reference to (ethno)religious, ethnic, and sexual groups. Theoretical chapters engage questions about the time and temporality of otherness, and their ambivalent relationship with (public) space. It offers examples from across the liberal-illiberal divide: France, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Poland. It highlights that vulnerability towards intolerance is inscribed in the structures of the law, and is not merely inherent to either liberalism or illiberalism, as is often inferred.
Foreword
This book finds its antecedent in historical practices of toleration, shaping the way pluralism is still contested in Europe today.
