Sammenslutningens kunst: Om føderalisme hos Johannes Althusius og Hannah Arendt

Abstract

This article discusses the theories of federalism as formulated by the early modernthinker Johannes Althusius and by 20th century political thinker Hannah Arendt. Thearticle ventures into a discussion on the specific democratic attributes of Althusius’ andArendt’s federal visions, focusing on the federal nature of Althusius’ concept of associationand Arendt’s concept of the promise. Moreover, the article argues for understandingAlthusius’ and Arendt’s federalisms as expressions of the constituent power, asa way in which the collectivity can organize itself institutionally without relinquishingtheir original power to constitute new institutional forms. Finally, the article seeks toplace federalism in a historical and conceptual discussion with state sovereignty, herebydenaturalizing the idea of the state as modernity’s only political form, by showing thekey differences between state sovereignty and the central tenets of Althusius’ and Arendt’snotions of federalism. The article concludes by enumerating two political principlesof the federation, namely association and self-rule.