Editorial - Welcome Back After the Southern Hemisphere Hiatus

Saoirse Enright, Seána Glennon, Pravar Petkar

3 February 2026 marks the first publication day for the Blog following our Southern Hemisphere summer hiatus. We are delighted to return with a number of exciting updates, including personnel changes, new collaborations, and announcements.

Personnel and Platform Updates

Following the Blog’s summer hiatus, the Editorial Board is pleased to welcome readers back for a new year of constitutional commentary and collaboration. The Blog is also delighted to welcome a new Co-Editor. Dr Saoirse Enright, a Postdoctoral Researcher, has joined our team. In her current role as the Matheson Diversity in Law Newman Fellow at the University College Dublin, she is examining the relationship between socio-economic class and Ireland’s solicitor and barrister professions. Her research interests are in Public Law and Theory, Legal Professions, Judicial Politics, Legal Biography and History, Socio-Economic Class, and Power Structures in Legal Education and Practice.

The Blog is also expanding its online presence with the launch of a LinkedIn page, offering an additional way for readers to follow posts, calls, and announcements. As many in the constitutional law community increasingly use LinkedIn as a professional hub, this new platform aims to make the Blog’s content more accessible and easier to share.

Symposia

The Blog remains committed to hosting symposia that cultivate inclusive conversations and provide a meeting place for constitutionalists across the world. At the start of this year, two major symposiums will anchor our programming.

First, Small States Constitutionalism will explore constitutionalism in jurisdictions often overlooked in comparative work, highlighting the distinctive insights and innovations that small states contribute to global constitutional debates.

The second, Questioning Hegemonies: Language in Comparative Constitutional Law, will examine the linguistic foundations of constitutional discourse. This symposium will consider how language shapes authority, translation, and the very practice of comparison, opening space for critical reflection on the assumptions that structure the field.

These symposiums reflect the Blog’s ongoing commitment to broadening the scope of comparative constitutional inquiry and creating opportunities for sustained cross-border dialogue.

World Congress of Constitutional Law 2026

The Blog will continue to support the global constitutional law community in the lead‑up to the World Congress of Constitutional Law 2026, hosted by Universidad Externado de Colombia from 6–10 July 2026. Key information can be found on the main conference site, with the Blog also playing a role in keeping IACL members and others interested in constitutional law updated about the IACL Congresses.

General Call for Submissions

The Blog continues to welcome submissions on all areas of constitutional law of interest to a global readership. Posts are accepted in English, French, and Spanish, and the team encourages proposals for Author Interviews (in both written and video format) on new books, and the submission of Calls for Papers or other announcements of interest and relevance to a global audience of constitutional lawyers.

The Editorial Board extends its thanks to all contributors and readers for their continued support and engagement. The year ahead promises rich conversations, new collaborations, and continued growth across the Blog’s community.

Saoirse Enright, Seána Glennon, Pravar Petkar

Co-Editors, IACL-AIDC Blog