Constitutional Investigations

This book is based on an in-depth filmed conversation between Howard Burton and Linda Colley, the Shelby M.C. Davis 1958 Professor of History at Princeton University. Linda Colley is a renowned expert on British, imperial and global history since 1700. After inspiring insights about Linda Colley’s teachers and professors who had a strong impact on her future career as a historian, this wide-ranging conversation provides a detailed examination of the global history and present state of constitutions and their impact.


This carefully-edited book includes an introduction, Knowing the Rules, and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:

I. Personal History - Grappling with identity
II. Constitutions, Part 1 - Written and unwritten
III. Constitutions, Part 2 - Use and abuses
IV. Implications and Applications - Legal ramifications, language and possible next steps
V. Marching Onwards - The future of the past



About Ideas Roadshow Conversations:


This book is part of an expanding series of 100+ Ideas Roadshow conversations, each one presenting a wealth of candid insights from a leading expert through a focused yet informal setting to give non-specialists a uniquely accessible window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn't otherwise be encountered through standard lectures and textbooks.