Pakistan and Ireland: Exploring Comparative Constitutional Perspectives on Decolonisation, Dominion Status, & Beyond

In this seminar Dr Malagodi and Dr McDonagh examine the Dominion Constitutions of Pakistan and Ireland from a comparative perspective. While the two countries could be described as being dramatically different from one another in some ways – e.g. in terms of geography, size of economy, population size – in fact as countries that gained independence in the 20th century from the British Empire via Dominion status they share some important and under-explored political and constitutional similarities, including: (i) in political terms, the legacy of the British ‘Westminster’ model of government and its emphasis on executive authority; (ii) in legal terms, the impact on the legal system of the subversion of the terms of the Dominion constitutions in each state, particularly with regard to the role of the judiciary and the status of constituent assemblies; and (iii) in relation to questions of religion and nationalism, the dramatic legacy of partition. By exploring these areas from a comparative perspective Dr Malagodi and Dr McDonagh shine a light on the legal and political challenges of the post-colonial experience in two key states that emerged from the British Empire.