Blavatnik Book Talk: Constitutional Intolerance
This is a hybrid event
President Trump’s idea to ‘interpret’ the Constitution ‘differently’ is not new. Marietta van der Tol’s book Constitutional Intolerance documents how European populists try to hack and ‘reinterpret’ their constitutions to enact laws that target religious minorities, ethnic groups, and LGBT rights:

Appeals to ‘social norms’ to say there is a ‘security issue’ (France)
Arbitrary use of ‘public order’ when no problem can be substantiated (Netherlands)
Unwieldy constitutional amendments that target specific churches (Hungary)
Arguing something is written in the constitution when it isn’t (Poland)
Join this event to learn about legal strategies among the Far Right and to reflect on the implications of Constitutional Intolerance for democracy across the Atlantic.

The event will be introduced by Jonathan Wolff, Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, and the discussion will be chaired by Maya Tudor, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government

Presentations on the book will be provided by:

Tarun Khaitan, Professor of Public Law at the LSE Law School and Honorary Professorial Fellow at Melbourne Law School
Nazila Ghanea, Professor of International Human Rights Law, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights
Marietta van der Tol, Landecker Lecturer at the University of Cambridge and Senior Postdoctoral Researcher at Trinity College, Cambridge, will respond, followed by a general discussion and Q&A.

The event is followed by a drinks reception.
Date: 4 June 2025, 17:00
Venue: Blavatnik School of Government, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter OX2 6GG
Venue Details: In person and online
Speakers: Marietta van der Tol (Blavatnik School of Government), Professor Jo Wolff (Blavatnik School of Government), Maya Tudor (BSG, Oxford), Tarun Khaitan (University of Oxford), Dr Nazila Ghanea ((Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford))
Organising department: Blavatnik School of Government
Organiser contact email address: events@bsg.ox.ac.uk
Host: Blavatnik School of Government (University of Oxford)
Booking required?: Required
Booking url: https://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/events/blavatnik-book-talk-constitutional-intolerance
Cost: This event is free - please register at the above link
Audience: Public
Editor: Anna Ulshofer