This important volume... seeks to revitalize the study of state formation by allowing it to partake of the fruits of the cultural turn. In its ambitions this collection bears a strong resemblance to Peter Evans, Dietrick Rueschemayer, and Theda Skocpol's Bringing the State Back In of 1985, and its impact should be equally great... The richness of this volume's contributions should provide inspiration to all those who seek to reinvigorate the study of the state and state formation.
- Thomas Ertman, New York University (American Journal of Sociology) This book... is a serious and substantive addition to the literature, not only of states but also of cultures and economics.
- Robert K. Schaeffer, Kansas State University (Contemporary Sociology) This collection of essays examines the process of state formation in light of the ongoing 'cultural turn' in the social sciences....Such work is particularly useful to historians of education....Although the essays collected in State Formation after the Cultural Turn do not focus directly on the history of education, they can be used as a source of conceptual inspiration. They can also be read as a map of the social sciences: providing useful coordinates of our own position, clarifying the differences between relevant writers and approaches, and noting the direction of particularly useful interventions....This is a useful book deserving a wide readership.
- Pavla Miller, RMIT Melbourne (History of Education Review)
