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The "Founding fathers" of American Studies at MGIMO are considered to be A.V. Efimov and L.I. Clove. Alexey Efimov - Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences since 1938, Head of the Department of Modern and Contemporary History and Dean of the Historical School at the Moscow State University - one of the first professors of the Faculty of International Relations MGIMO. Efimov distinguished himself by a broad vision and scope of scientific interests. Back in 1934 he published a monograph "On the history of capitalism in the United States," which initiated a series of research culminating in the fundamental work "The United States. The path of capitalist development (pre-imperialist era)". Alexey was not only a great scientist but also a great teacher, whose lectures was popular throughout Moscow. His lecture courses, given at the end of the 1940s at MGIMO, became the basis for the first post-war history textbooks USA - "Essays on the history of the United States." At least as colorful a figure was Professor Leo Izrailevich Zubok - a man of unusual destiny. As a teenager he emigrated to the United States with his parents, where he soon joined the American revolutionary movement in the 1920s and was forced to leave the country. He came to MGIMO being already an experienced scientists. His research interests were very wide: from the study of American foreign policy expansion to the history of the labor movement in the United States. Zubok's fundamental works still have not lost its scientific significance. He has successfully combined scientific work with teaching. Tutorials that are based on his lectures were very popular not only among students of MGIMO.

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments (and apologies) -- Series Editor's Foreword -- Preface -- Chapter 1 Introduction -- Chapter 2 Land and Identity -- Chapter 3 Historical Contact and Conflict -- Chapter 4 Tribal Sovereignty -- Chapter 5 Language -- Chapter 6 Indian Aesthetics: Literature -- Chapter 7 Indian Aesthetics: Art and Expressive Culture -- Chapter 8 The Current Status of Native American Studies -- Suggestions for Further Reading -- Index

The article presents the development and current state of American Studies in Poland as a discipline, starting with its historic and political background, through institutional foundations, to current research and teaching, especially from the social scientific perspective. The article argues that American Studies went from virtual absence in Stalinist Poland to post-1989 rapid expansion and continues to attract students despite the lack of institutional and disciplinary independence. Even though it is mostly affiliated to English programs, it continues to go outside the boundaries of the traditional approaches of history and literature to include cultural studies, political science, sociology, communication, and law.

In comparison with other ethnic groups in the U.S., the Arab-American community has received little study. In part this is due, no doubt, to its relatively small size, which is estimated to be about one and one half to two millions. Recently however, there has been an ethnic revival in the urban areas of the U.S. It became obvious in the late '60s and early '70's that many members of ethnic groups had not "melted", had not lost their pride and cultural values, and that some had been forced to be ashamed of their foreign origin in public, and lived in a form of dual existence. The politics of ethnicity, always a part of the American class and political structure, also became more publically discussed in the 1960s. In large part this was due to the success of the Black expressions of identity and unity, but in the case of the Middle Eastern Arab communities, it was also in response to the conflicts in the Mid-East, and to the U.S. policies in relation to those conflicts. The heavy governmental support of the expanding settler state of Israel, and the inability to find expression of the Arab side through the mass media caused a growing alienation from U.S. policies and a new feeling of cultural and political awareness. This was particularly true after the 1967 Mid-East War, and more recently as a result of such a policy as Operation Boulder, a special surveillance policy instituted by President Nixon which specifically included Arab "ethnics." The October War and the oil situation has also added a new and different dimension. It should be added, that in certain of the social sciences, there is a renewed emphasis upon migration studies, both in the national and international context.