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Interview with Jiří Přibáň, legal scholar and newly-appointed Justice#

Jiří Přibáň discusses his recent election to the Law section of Academia Europaea and his role at the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic.

Jiří Přibáň

About Jiří Přibáň MAE#

Professor Jiří Přibáň MAE is a distinguished Czech academic, author, and legal scholar, specialising in the philosophy of law, sociology, and constitutional theory. He graduated from Charles University in Prague in 1989 and was appointed Professor of Legal Theory, Philosophy, and Sociology there in 2002. Currently, he serves as a Professor of Law at Cardiff University.

Professor Přibáň has made significant contributions to the fields of social theory, sociology of law, legal philosophy, constitutional law, and European comparative law through his extensive publications. His acclaimed monograph, Sovereignty in Post-Sovereign Society, received the Socio-Legal Theory and History Book Prize, and his influential article on post-communist constitution-making won the Hart Socio-Legal Article Prize. He is the Centre of Law and Society’s Founding Director (a transnational research hub, based at Cardiff) and Editor of the Journal of Law and Society. In June 2024, Jiří Přibáň was appointed as a Justice at the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, and was also elected into the Academia Europaea.

Read the interview#

Congratulations on your recent election to Academia Europaea. What does this recognition mean to you personally and professionally?

“The membership means a lot to me personally, but my success would not have been possible without the unique community of socio-legal scholars and the rich tradition connected with the Journal of Law and Society and, subsequently, the Centre of Law and Society.

When I came to Cardiff as a young Czech sociologist and law theorist thirty years ago, I realised the significant contributions its legal researchers made to the sociology of law and socio-legal studies in this country and further afield. Today, Cardiff University’s socio-legal research continues to lead both nationally and internationally, and I feel very proud to be part of this excellence. I consider my Academia Europaea membership to be a recognition of our outstanding research community and scholarly tradition here in Cardiff.”



You research and write on issues around sovereignty and constitutionalism. How do you view the current and future state of politics and democracy in Europe right now?

“I am fascinated by paradoxes within various social systems of law, politics, and the economy. One example is the persistence of national sovereignty in the post-national society of contemporary Europe. Both Marxists and liberals underestimated the social power of nationalism, but its current resurgence is not new in modern history. It is a response to the social void created by globalisation and its ever-accelerating economic, scientific, technological, demographic and other developments. Much like two centuries ago, the future state of politics and democracy in Europe and beyond depends on our answer to the question, “What is the nation?” If we respond by claiming that it is a primordial entity defining political totality, democracy is lost. However, if we recognise it as a daily struggle for civic values and an open society, we can remain hopeful, despite the challenges facing contemporary European and global politics.”



You were recently appointed Justice at the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic. Could you outline what this important role involves?

“As in many other countries with a civil law tradition, the Constitutional Court in the Czech Republic protects constitutional rights and freedoms. Its principal importance lies in its authority to strike down laws enacted by Parliament if they are unconstitutional. In essence, the Court and its Justices serve as guardians of the Constitution, who have principal responsibility for maintaining the stability of constitutional democracy in the Czech Republic.”



What are your hopes for Wales and the rest of the UK within the European research community?

“I hope that the United Kingdom, and especially Wales, will re-join the European research networks and projects that were lost after Brexit. British scholars have always played a crucial role in European science. I want to believe that this unity will be reaffirmed and that new networks of scientific and academic collaboration will be established, enriching both British and European academia.”


The interview was posted on the 23rd July 2024 and conducted by the Academia Europaea Cardiff Knowledge Hub.
For further information please contact AECardiffHub@cardiff.ac.uk.

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