“This book is essential reading for political scientists wanting to see how feminist theory is transforming their discipline and a major new contribution to progressive thought on the topical issue of democracy. Written with dry wit, Engendering Democracy takes feminist questions to the heart of political theory.”

―Michele Barrett,City University

“This is a valuable and unique book. I am aware of no other book that gives sustained treatment to the intersection of feminism with democratic theory. Phillips does an excellent job reviewing and synthesizing the literature on feminism and democracy. Her reference to cases to illustrate her theoretical discussion is particularly useful, but her attention to the claims and arguments of major radical democratic theorists is also exemplary.”

―Iris Marion Young,University of Pittsburgh

“This is a jaunty and well-written book. Phillips’s contribution to the field of feminist theory lies in elaborating a vision that knowingly negotiates the poles of universal values and sexual differentiation. Phillips aims to acknowledge but not to privilege gender difference. She sees as transitional a world in which gender differences count, and she aspires to a world in which women need not speak as women nor men as men. Her major point that feminists have criticized liberal democracy, participatory democracy, and civic republicanism―all three―rather than pitting each against the other as absolute alternatives is compelling. Phillips audience should reach beyond the ranks of political theorists per se because of her emphasis on comparative political systems and on theories of representation.”

―Jean Bethke Elshtain,Vanderbuilt University