This "Introduction to Constitutional Law" brings up to date a number of themes that, in the past, were grouped under the notion "general doctrine of the Constitution". The various meanings ascribed to the idea of Constitution and to the terms associated with it ("politeia", "constitutio", "Verfassung") are rapidly, but exhaustively illustrated in a historical perspective. A reconsidering of the notion of Constitution is a "must" for anyone who is committed not only to studying, but also to applying the Constitution, so that the approach to constitutional law becomes more than a mere exegetic activity deprived of any concrete quality. The full understanding of the Constitution is indeed possible if a basic consitutional culture is intended as a shared notion. Hence, the attention devoted to the great conceptualizations of modern public law: sovereignity, freedom, deputation, limitation and legitimization of power. A students textbook, this volume is also a valuable instrument for anyone who, beyond any didactic purposes, needs to acquire a deeper knowledge of this topic.

Contents: Foreword. - I. Ambiguity of the term "Constitution". - II. The "politeia" of the ancient Greeks. - III. The "res publica constituta" of the ancient Romans. - IV. The eclipse of the notion of constitution in the Middle Ages. - V. The constitutionalism of the Moderns: The origins. - The constitutionalism of the Moderns: The diaspora.

Mario Dogliani is Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Turin.