THE INTELLECTUAL FOUNDATIONS OF MONGOLIAN CONSTITUTIONALISM: JAMSRANGIIN TSEVEEN AND THE MODERNIZATION OF STATEHOOD
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Abstract
Our study examines the intellectual and institutional contributions of Jamsrangiin Tseveen (1881–1942) also known by his Buriat name, Tsyben Zhantsaranovich Zhamtsarano to the formation of modern Mongolian constitutional thought. Tseveen worked to link the structures of traditional nomadic law with the requirements of a modern state. Within the political context of the 1920s and 1930s, this article argues that Tseveen did not adopt foreign constitutional models without modification. Instead, he proposed a legal system based on Mongolian historical traditions to address the challenges of the period. By examining his writings and institutional activities, this study demonstrates that Tseveen addressed the fundamental dilemma of early twentieth-century Mongolia: how to transform a theocratic society into a sovereign constitutional state.
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