Author Description

This outstanding symposium concerns the development of the social sciences in the United States over its first two hundred years and was brought together by the editors of Social Science Quarterly as the journal's contribution to the nation's Bicentennial celebration. Six prominent scholars representing history, economics, sociology, political science, anthropology, and geography were invited to write essays about the general topic of the progress of the social sciences, and to pursue original lines of thought as well. Each was asked to address three key questions regarding their own discipline: (1) the distinctive contributions made to each discipline by American scholars; (2) the impact of these contributions upon American society; and (3) the relationship of these contributions to the character or nature of life in the United States. The result is a coherent collection of considerable breadth and exceptional quality. The essays include "Time's American Adventures: American History and Historical Writing since 1776" by William Goetzmann; "Economics: Its Direct and Indirect Impact in America, 1776-1976" by Joseph J. Spengler; "Sociology in America: The Experience of Two Centuries" by Robin M. Williams; "Understanding Political Life in America: The Contribution of Political Science" by Heinz Eulau; "Anthropology in America" by Walter Goldschmidt; and "Geography As a Social Science: Recent American Experience" by Kevin Cox.