“Constitutive stories of ‘peoplehood’ are not only necessary to keep political communities together, they also design and open the way to a better future. This is a compelling and impressive masterpiece delivered by Smith on what is at the core of politics and nevertheless so much neglected.”

Patrick Weil, University of Paris 1, Pantheon-Sorbonne and Yale University

“Smith offers a compelling defense of the importance of ‘stories of peoplehood’ to the organization of our political lives, from how we conceive of ourselves as citizens to the kinds of leaders we elect and the policies and legislation they enact. A model of problem-driven political science, the book demonstrates a stunning breadth of knowledge and moves fluently between debates in contemporary democratic theory, American political development, immigration policy, and even literary theory and narratology.”

Jason Frank, Cornell University

“For more than three decades, Smith has been one of the leading scholars of the role of ideas in American politics. In Political Peoplehood, he extends and deepens his concept of ‘peoplehood,’ laying out in the process an agenda for research that is sure to influence future scholarship on political development in the United States and in many other societies as well.”

Joseph H. Carens, University of Toronto

“By broadening the location of ‘political peoplehood’ to include sub- and transnational identities and by linking political demands for inclusion and equality to concrete groups shaped by historically contingent values, Smith seeks to narrow the gap between truth and power. . . . Recommended."
 

Choice

"Smith’s positioning midway between ordinary politics (coalition formation and maintenance) and systems of meaning and culture provides a solid base for contemporary political scientists seeking to systematically consider these issues."

Political Science Quarterly