Quo Vadis America? ― Conceptualizing Change in American Democracy

It is possible to identify at least three ways of conceptualizing change in American democracy. First, change is seen as a product of development. Here change is linear, it signifies progress. The second model sees change as coming from the reflection of the relationship between values and their institutional manifestations. It has a distinctly conservative character. The third approach sees change as an innovation, often a product of technological advancement. Each conceptualization of change stipulates a different set of problems which need to be addressed. The first – functional approach – is mainly concerned with the efficiency of the socio-political system. The second – intellectual approach – poses questions about the system stability and legitimacy. The third – mechanical approach – inquires about the system’s adaptability. These and other dimensions of change are explored by the contributors in their analyses of domestic and foreign policy, cultural and social conflicts, economic relations, ideologies, and public discourse in contemporary America.

Bohdan Szklarski, graduate of the Department of English at Warsaw University, and of the Department of Political Science, Northeastern University, Boston; lecturer at several American and Polish universities; currently teaching at the American Studies Center at Warsaw University and at the Department of Political Science of Collegium Civitas (founder and director of the Institute of Leadership Studies); fellow at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences; numerous works in the area of comparative and American politics; research interests: leadership, political culture, political communication and political anthropology.