Sudhir Hazareesingh is Official Fellow and Tutor in Politics at Balliol College, Oxford, and author of Intellectuals and the French Communist Party: Disillusion and Decline (Oxford, 1991).
`the book continually beguiles the reader by the skill and economy
with which it explains complex matters in a way that is both
intelligible to the relative newcomer to French politics and is a
lesson to seasoned travellers on how to combine simplicity of
exposition with fidelity to the subtleties of the subject ... this
book is a valuable addition to the surprisingly lean list of works
that successfully make sense of political traditions of the last
two
centuries in France without oversimplification or distortion. It
would seem destined for a long life as staple student reading.'
French History
`What Hazareesingh has managed is a work of real quality that
engages the study of modern France in three distinctive keys. He
selects and discusses, deftly and with illustration, what he sees
as the main strands of modern French political culture; he locates
these firmly in their history, using that history as a source of
enlightenment without slipping into the trap of historicism; and he
takes the opportunity to propose some subtle but succinct
analyses
of the political traditions in question. In short, his book lies at
the difficult intersection of political science, intellectual
history and political theory and combines the usually disparate
approaches
of these sub-disciplines with unusual confidence and success ...
The result is impressive.'
Tony R. Judt, New York University
`the author is to be congratulated on the broad coverage he
provides...a well written and entertaining book which will be of
use to all those with an interest in the developmetn of France in
the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Always taking care to
define his terms, the author presents an incisive and wide-ranging
analysis of government, political movements and ideas. ..this is a
stimulating work which deserves a wide readership.'
The Historian
`This is a very clear and helpful book, penetrating and
succinct.'
Robert Gilda, Merton College
`The only currently available book of its kind on the subject and
succinctly-written.'
B.J. Criddle, University of Aberdeen
`A very interesting book and accessible enough for 1st/2nd year
undergraduates.'
Nick Hewlett, Oxford Brookes University
`Excellent and well written study. Complements government and
institutions oriented texts supremely well.'
Raymond Kuhn, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of
London
`This is an excellent book, written in a lively and interesting
way. It should stimulate students at all levels.'
Professor Malcolm Anderson, University of Edinburgh
`Excellent background reading for the Politics strand in the School
of Modern Languages.'
David Curtis, University of Hull
`This is a really interesting and rather different text on French
politics.'
Paul Webb, Brunel University
`The book is extremely clearly written and covers areas not really
discussed elsewhere.'
Professor Anne Stevens, University of Kent
`An excellent, intelligent and up-to-date analysis of complex
political themes that form the bed-rock of modern French political
culture.'
Dr J.F.V. Keiger, University of Salford
`An unusually lucid book on French history, culture and
thought.'
B. Boyce, University of Liverpool
`Should help to illuminate some of the specifies of French
political culture and stimulate further interest.'
Times Literary Supplement
`A refreshing and distinctive approach to the unravelling of the
complexities of the French political system ... a clearly defined
overview of the state of France today ... an important contribution
to any study of modern French political history, and there is much
of interest to whet the reader's appetite ... a stimulating
book.'
Modern and Contemporary France
`A series of essays, all of which contain interesting insights ...
we must be grateful for what is here. For those already familiar
with the evolution of modern France, Sudhir Hazareesingh's study
should help to illuminate some of the specifies of French political
culture and stimulate further interest.'
Times Literary Supplement
`...the most interesting parts of the book deal with particular
traditions. The appeal of this book lies in its being well written,
in a constant willingness to challenge accepted orthodoxies, and in
its preference for tackling large and difficult problems rather
than more easily posed trivial ones.'
Political Studies
`It is necessary ... to have at least some background knowledge to
both French history and French government to obtain the most from
reading this book ... those with that background ... should find
that this book gives them a different slant and approach to their
studies, which should make the reading of it a stimulating
exercise.'
Talking Politics
`A well written and entertaining book which will be of use to all
those with an interest in the development of France in the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Always taking care to define
his terms, the author presents an incisive and wide-ranging
analysis of government, political movements, and ideas ... this is
a stimulating work which deserves a wide readership.'
The Historian
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