Introduction: Comparative constitutional change: a new academic field

Constitutions change. Once enacted, constitutions function in an ever-changing environment and are themselves, as a rule, subject to formal and informal change. Comparative constitutional change (CCC) is the study of how, when, why and by whom constitutions change formally or informally. Comparison in the field of constitutional change is simultaneously vertical and horizontal, combining cross-time and cross-country analysis. Time is important: time with regard to constitutional change progresses at different speeds. Time moves fast with regard to events, slows down in constitutional episodes and is slow in the realm of constitutional culture. Changing time density explains the difference between incremental updates and episodic shifts in constitutional continuance which, when intermingled, produce constitutional change. The field of CCC approaches constitutions through the way they change with the use of various methodological tools, encompassing and revealing different perceptions of the constitution.