On Friday, May 29th, the ICCAL Collaboration Lab roundtable at LASA 2026 in Paris brought together researchers of the lab to present two key outcomes of its ongoing research project: a reconstruction of how Latin American societies have shaped a distinctive body of law, and an analysis of the role of judicial institutions in sustaining the republican project of transformative constitutionalism.

The discussion, chaired by Julián Buitrago, convened ICCAL Lab researchers Carolina Bejarano Martínez, René Urueña, Manuel Góngora-Mera and Joaquín Garzón to explore how comparative public law could illuminate regional legal systems shaped by republican traditions and transformative constitutional aspirations. In line with LASA’s theme, “Republic and Revolution”, the session situated Latin America’s constitutional trajectories within the broader Atlantic world. Participants examined how the emancipatory ideals of republicanism—liberty, equality, and solidarity—have been institutionalized through republican arrangements, while also coexisting with persistent challenges such as inequality, weak statehood, and corruption, as well as new authoritarian threats. Inspired by von Bogdandy’s account of a “renaissance of republicanism” in Europe—centered on dignity, solidarity, and the common good—this project highlighted how Latin American societies have developed their own republican legal imagination through transformative constitutionalism. These perspectives underscored republicanism as a forward-looking normative framework rather than a nostalgic return to the past.

The conversation evolved around the central point of how Latin America plays a role in the project and how this implies an interregional vision. Another key question was what tensions arise between the use of the framework of transformative constitutionalism and rapid social changes, such as revolutions, which often cross constitutional limits or occur at their outer margins.

By means of dialogue, the event aimed to foster cross-regional dialogue between Latin America and Europe on how law could strengthen democratic resilience to confront autocratic forces that undermine democracy as a societal form.