Editorial: Return from Hiatus - September 2020

The year 2020 will probably be long remembered as the year that brought some rather dramatic transformations to life as we knew it. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected (and still is affecting) all of us in so many ways, personally and professionally: from lockdowns to travel bans, border closures, health concerns, work habits, personal relations, we have all been touched by this global health crisis. What has happened since March 2020 has required a quick adaptation to new ways of living, working and socialising that will have a long-lasting effect on our lives. Across the world, the constitutionality of decisions taken by governments during this time continue to be discussed, debated and contested. Over the past few months, we have sought to contribute to this debate  – through our videos and posts.  In doing so, we have tried to give space to voices coming from jurisdictions that usually feature less prominently in global debates and fora.  

After a short hiatus, the IACL Blog is ready to come back and, in this rapidly changing scenario, we will continue to provide updates and keep our readers informed about the impact of the pandemic in constitutional law. At the same time, we will closely follow other constitutional developments. In this regard, we are very happy to share with you some exciting projects that we are preparing for the next months. For example, in October we will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Austrian Constitution with a symposium featuring Prof. Anna Gamper (Innsbruck) as guest editor: the symposium will showcase both Austrian and comparative voices all discussing the long-lasting legacy of the Austrian basic law. In November, we will host a symposium on French Overseas Territories with Dr. Elisabeth Alber (EURAC Bolzano) as guest editor. Other symposia are currently under preparation. At the same time, the Blog will continue with its mission of providing a user-friendly meeting place for constitutionalists around the world to present their research, share their views and discuss crucial constitutional law topics. We encourage you to submit proposals to iacl.blogeditor@gmail.com.  

Looking forward, we would like to take this opportunity also to briefly reflect on the role and place of academic blogs in the current landscape of constitutional law. Like social media, blogs have rapidly expanded and have become indispensable tools to share ideas and comment on topical and rapidly evolving issues. The benefits of blogs are of course manifold, but among them is the fact that blog posts can rapidly convey important messages, thoughts, opinions, reactions to constitutional and political events to a broad audience, free from the usual constraints of academic publishing. Our experience shows that academic blogs enjoy a diverse readership. Given these developments, it may be necessary to better understand the role, purpose and future of academic blogging. What is the impact of blogs on academia, both in terms of research and teaching? Does it impact constitutional practice? How do we assess the impact? These are just some of the questions that we are putting forward, hoping that this will spur a broader conversation over the weeks and months to come.  

Thank you for your continuous support of the Blog, we look forward to engaging with you in these (and other) constitutional conversations in the months to come. 

Erika ARBAN & Dinesha SAMARARATNE

Co-Editors

Suggested Citation: Erika Arban and Dinesha Samararatne, ‘Editorial: Return from Hiatus – September 2020’ IACL-AIDC Blog (15 September 2020) https://blog-iacl-aidc.org/2020-posts/2020/9/15/editorial-return-from-hiatus-september-2020