In times of
crisis, countries naturally yearn for leaders who can defend the public good
within the sphere of politics and governance, and in less turbulent periods,
the sound political management of a country is also valued. The term
typically used to describe these abilities among national leaders is
statesmanship. In November the University of Notre Dame Press will
publish a long-awaited volume on political leadership entitled American
Statesmanship, edited by Joseph R. Fornieri, Professor of Political Science at
Rochester Institute of Technology. The volume will include a chapter on
John C. Calhoun by East Georgia State College professor, Dr. Lee Cheek.
He is Professor of Political Science and the former Dean of the School of
Humanities and Social Sciences at the College. Dr. Cheek also directs the
College's Correll Scholars Program.
According
to Fornieri, “Our project was greatly enhanced by Dr. Cheek’s
contribution. As a leading scholar of American political thought,
especially the political thought of the American South, his work balances our
understanding of statesmanship and political leadership.”
The book,
including Cheek’s scholarship, suggests the principles of statesmanship should
view leaders’ commitment to the common good versus private interest; a
sacrificial view of public service; and, the ability to distinguish between the
proper use of persuasion and coercion.
Cheek’s
previous books include Political Philosophy and Cultural Renewal
(Transaction/Rutgers, 2001; reprinted, Routledge, 2018 [with Kathy B. Cheek]);
Calhoun and Popular Rule, published by the University of Missouri Press (2001;
paper edition, 2004); Calhoun: Selected Speeches and Writings (Regnery, 2003);
Order and Legitimacy (Transaction/Rutgers, 2004; reprinted, Routledge, 2017);
an edition of Calhoun's A Disquisition on Government (St. Augustine's, 2007;
reprinted, 2016); a critical edition of W. H. Mallock's The Limits of Pure
Democracy (Transaction/Rutgers, 2007; reprinted, Routledge, 2017); Confronting
Modernity: Towards a Theology of Ministry in the Wesleyan Tradition (Wesley
Studies Society, 2010); an edition of the classic study, A Theory of Public
Opinion (Transaction/Rutgers, 2013; reprinted, Routledge, 2017); Patrick-Henry
Onslow Debate: Liberty and Republicanism in American Political Thought
(Lexington, 2013); and, The Founding of the American Republic (Notre Dame
University Press, 2023 [forthcoming]).
