Organizing the Impossible: Constitutional Law and Practice in Icaria

Icaria is one of those rare moments in social history when the Utopian dream has been tested in political and social practice. Based on legal settlements, the Icarian experience at Nauvoo offers a unique opportunity to check the relationship among law, Utopia, and dystopia. The essay scrutinizes the key features of the Icaria’s constitution and analyzes the problems related to the enforcement of a Utopian constitution in a real social and political context.