We are honoured to serve as the new editorial team for the Journal of American Studies at what we believe is an exciting and important time for the field.

In 1998, Janice Radway considered, “What's in a Name?”, as she looked at the notion of “internationalizing” American studies. Thirteen years later, amidst the dramatic challenges of political, economic, social, and intellectual movements in countries across the globe, we think the issue is far more than a name and far more than a projection of American studies to the world. We believe that “America” is a concept for negotiation and mobilization – in the literary and cultural texts that construct our meanings, in the interpretations and uses of history, in the approaches to politics, law, and civil society – alongside others in the academic and civic communities.

We believe that “America” may be at the centre of one's consideration but it is equally important in American studies to recognize where “America” is at the margins of experience, activity, and discussion. We believe that we can examine an American exceptionalism but we do not have to position ourselves either in embrace or in rejection of it.

We hope to offer readers a journal which not only considers this notion of American studies but which also makes it accessible to the widest possible audience. We will continue the publication of articles that have long made JAS a journal of distinction for ideas and reflection. We will seek reviews that not only draw attention to dynamic works in our field but also foster discussion of trends in American studies and encourage greater interaction between JAS and the American studies community.

In addition to seeking the articles that set the standard for ideas and reflection, we will start commissioning longer, more detailed book reviews, review essays and round tables to generate interaction between scholars and readers with interdisciplinary conversations about the past, present and future of our field. We will develop ways to make JAS in the American studies community – both in the UK and abroad – much more interactive, moving away from the journal being disseminated by us and received by the readers.

To do this, we will complement our print publication with the use of the Internet, making the JAS website a vital location of top-flight articles, annual lectures, reviews, and round tables. We will take advantage of the electronic medium to feature and draw upon the comments and ideas of our readers.