ABSTRACT
The introduction offers a literature review of works on the reception of Italian elite theory in the United States. It confirms that the link between Italian elitism and American political thought is now an acquired fact for scholars. Over the years, scholars have investigated this relationship, developing some fruitful lines of inquiry. Initially, the research mainly had a theoretical character and, in some cases, was affected by the disagreement between elitists and pluralists. Over time, a more detached perspective has emerged, capable of historicizing and clarifying the American interest in elite theory. Nevertheless, the literature review also demonstrates that a history of elitism in the United States is still missing. The introduction, therefore, indicates how the book intends to fill this gap, briefly describing the main theses, the general structure, and the content of the individual chapters.
