This article examines the historiographical debate over federalism between the 1930s and 1960s. In their most sweeping iterations, revisionists have sought to unravel the history of the nation-state, by using the history of anti-colonial federalist demands for equal incorporation into imperial states as evidence against a teleology of nationalist independence. In perceiving the democratic potentialities embedded within imperial state forms, revisionists argue that anti-colonial federalists therefore belong within a cosmopolitan tradition of seeking democratic supra-national governance beyond empire and nation. Some iterations of ‘post-colonial cosmopolitanism’ have unfortunately channelled debate into an opposition between federalism and nationalism, while also generating methodological republicanism, the tendency to view proto-republics within imperial formations. This review challenges these interpretive shortcomings and argues instead that federalism ought to be understood as part of a contest about the state as such. By integrating scholarship on French and British imperial federalism with recent work on regional federalisms in European and African contexts, this essay centres a whole range of ideological variations of ‘cosmopolitanism’ that adapted federalism to their critiques of the state. Ultimately, this reframing of federalist historiography enables new insights into contests about, and not just over, twentieth-century states.

本文考察了1930到1960年代之间关于联邦制的史学辩论。在最广泛的迭代中，修正主义者试图利用反殖民联邦主义者要求平等地纳入帝国的历史来揭露民族国家的历史，以此作为反对民族主义独立目的论的证据。在认识到帝国主义国家形式内蕴含的民主潜力时，修正主义者认为，反殖民联邦主义者属于寻求在帝国和国家之外寻求民主的超国家治理的世界性传统。不幸的是，“后殖民世界主义”的某些迭代将辩论引向了联邦制和民族主义之间的对立，同时也产生了方法论上的共和主义，在帝国编队中观察原始共和国的趋势。这篇评论挑战了这些解释性的缺点，并主张应该将联邦制理解为关于国家本身的竞争的一部分。通过将关于法国和英国帝国联邦制的学术研究与最近在欧洲和非洲背景下关于区域联邦制的研究相结合，本文集中了“世界主义”的各种意识形态变体，使联邦制适应了他们对国家的批判。最终，联邦制史学的这种改组使人们对二十世纪各州（而不仅仅是过去）的竞赛有了新的见解。通过将关于法国和英国帝国联邦制的学术研究与最近在欧洲和非洲背景下关于区域联邦制的研究相结合，本文集中了“世界主义”的各种意识形态变体，使联邦制适应了他们对国家的批判。最终，联邦制史学的这种改组使人们对二十世纪各州的竞争有了新的见解，而不仅仅是过去。通过将关于法国和英国帝国联邦制的学术研究与最近在欧洲和非洲背景下关于区域联邦制的研究相结合，本文集中了“世界主义”的各种意识形态变体，使联邦制适应了他们对国家的批判。最终，联邦制史学的这种改组使人们对二十世纪各州的竞争有了新的见解，而不仅仅是过去。