Federalism in Greek antiquity

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"Federalism begins with a paradox. In a transhistorical perspective, federalism represents a design to unite a multitude of state-entities whose powers and prerogatives are safeguarded in the cours...

"Federalism begins with a paradox. In a transhistorical perspective, federalism represents a design to unite a multitude of state-entities whose powers and prerogatives are safeguarded in the course of integration. But in its attempt to achieve unity, federalism empowers constituents and grants them authority in such a manner that they might also jeopardize the goal of integration. Federalism therefore requires persistent and complex negotiation. There is a wide range of possible responses to the challenge of shaping a federal union. To maintain federal equilibrium, members may engage in, for instance, economic, cultural, linguistic, juristic, and genuine political negotiations"--

"The world of ancient Greece witnessed some of the most sophisticated and varied experiments with federalism in the pre-modern era. In the volatile interstate environment of Greece, federalism was a creative response to the challenge of establishing regional unity, while at the same time preserving a degree of local autonomy. To reconcile the forces of integration and independence, Greek federal states introduced, for example, the notion of proportional representation, the stratification of legal practice, and a federal grammar of festivals and cults. Federalism in Greek Antiquity provides the first comprehensive reassessment of the topic. It comprises detailed contributions on all federal states in Aegean Greece and its periphery. With every chapter written by a leading expert in the field, the book also incorporates thematic sections that place the topic in a broader historical and social-scientific context"--

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