It has been argued that the constitution of a country is embodiment of, or a response to, its particular history, political values, culture and indeed, its very identity.  But in the last two decades, we have witnessed a dramatic resurgence in the study of comparative constitutional law. How should we understand the relationship between the widely held view that constitutions are the quintessential national documents and the increasing migration of constitutional ideas across the globe? 

Trudeau Fellow Sujit Choudhry (New York University) is one of Canada's leading constitutional scholars, as well as an internationally recognized authority on comparative constitutional law. In his Trudeau lecture, Choudhry will examine the importance of comparative engagement in the drafting of the Charter, the rise of the "Canadian model" for managing secessionist conflict in the 1990's. He will also reflect on the way in which his immigrant identity - itself the product of globalization - has shaped his scholarship on the Canadian constitution.