"This book proposes a fresh way of looking at Senegalese politics and of assessing prospects for democracy in Africa. Gellar shifts the scale of analysis from an exclusive focus on the national level to a focus that considers local-level politics as well. This is a refreshing way to approach the study of politics in an African country, and it generates many useful comparisons between France, the US, and Senegal. The net result is a book that is mind-opening and provocative, and that will be interesting for university students as well as professionals who study African politics." - Catherine Boone, University of Texas at Austin "40 years of research and travel in Senegal have made Sheldon Gellar one of the most knowledgeable analysts of that country. In this book, he uses the ideas of Alexis de Toqueville to enrich our understanding of one of Africa's most vibrant democracies. It is a creative marriage of two passions, one for democratic theory, the other for a country he loves." - Martin A. Klein, Professor Emeritus of history, University of Toronto "Gellar's is an important, refreshing statement, which must be read by any serious student of African politics" - Donal B. Cruise O'Brien, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
