AN AMERICAN STATE

Abstract

Since the 1980s, both American political scientists and historians have been rediscovering their “state” and its specificities, especially its relative invisibility and its high degree of fragmentation. This debate has paralleled the rise of new methodologies in political science, such as historical institutionalism and American Political Development (APD). This introduction summarizes the key elements of these methodologies and presents the articles which make up this special issue.