“An engaging, insightful, and lucid book that is likely to make a significant contribution to a number of fields. The unique way Sawyer combines a critical history of French democratic thought with an engagement with the broader literature on the democratic state and a deep knowledge of the practical questions posed by the advent of democracy in nineteenth-century France are what make Demos Assembled both important and original.”
— Michael C. Behrent, Appalachian State University
“Demos Assembled is a groundbreaking book that makes decisive contributions to multiple historiographies: nineteenth-century France, French republicanism, the history of the state, and the development of modern political thought. Sawyer has produced a first-rate work of scholarship marked by both a mature historical vision and intelligent, engaging readings of individual thinkers. His approach is sophisticated, his argument persuasive, and his conclusions powerful. This is a significant work of history.”
— Andrew Jainchill, Queen’s University
“With this distinguished volume, Stephen Sawyer boldly inaugurates a re-excavation of the entire history of democracy and statecraft. A singular achievement!”
— William J. Novak, University of Michigan
“Recommended. . . A well-researched work focusing on several French contributors to democratic theory in the 19th century. . . Sawyer’s careful work will be useful for those interested in 19th-century France and its democratic thought.”
— Choice
“[Sawyer's] analysis is subtle, original and coherent. His language is precise and succinct. He has written a challenging, ambitious and consequently quite difficult book, which requires repeated reading and thought--and certainly more than one review.”
— H-France
“Sawyer provides an intelligent tour through mid-nineteenth-century debates about democracy.”
— The Journal of Modern History
“Demos Assembled is a significant contribution to the literature on French democracy. While Sawyer’s book is a meticulous and original study of intellectual history, it is also an intervention in the theoretical debate on the nature of democratic politics that has been underway in France.”
— H-Diplo
“Sawyer’s book is both historically and theoretically refined.”
— History