-
Canadian Political Science Association2024 Annual Conference Programme
Approaches, Knowledges, and Methods
for the World of Tomorrow
Hosted at McGill University
June 12 to June 14, 20242024 Annual Conference Programme
Approaches, Knowledges, and Methods
for the World of Tomorrow
Hosted at McGill University
June 12 to June 14, 2024
Political Theory
H21(b) - Federalism and the Siren Song of the Sovereign Center
Date: Jun 14 | Time: 03:30pm to 05:00pm | Location: 680 Sherbrooke St. West 365
Chair/Président/Présidente : Loren King (Wilfrid Laurier University)
Thomas Hueglin (Wilfrid Laurier University)Alan Fenna (Curtin University)
Jörg Broschek (Wilfrid Laurier University)
Abstract: Federalism has almost always been a counter-paradigm, a strategy against dominant ideas of empire, despotism, and majority rule. Indeed, these dominant ideas were themselves always tenuous in practice: ancient empires claimed universality, yet in practice prudently left in place local laws and customs. Federalism has always been a durable antidote to despotism. And in a diverse postmodern world, there may be considerable virtue to resisting the siren songs of sovereignty and republican unity. Our conceptual vocabulary and understandings should more aggressively reflect this theme of resistance.