Head of state: conceptual challenges and problem-solving opportunities

Abstract

In the second part of the article the author analyzes the emergence and expanse of the term “head of state”, the diffi culties involved by usage of the Russian collocation “head of state” and related word combinations, the chronological and spatial spread of the heads of states in various meanings.
Besides, considering the conceptual plurality revealed in the fi rst part of the article, the problems of classifying heads of states are discussed. Based on the study of the listed issues, the article demonstrates the limitations of interlingual analogies, proposes an updated presentation of the features
that characterize the head of state in its offi cial (representative) meaning, shows discreteness and locality of the phenomena denoted by the term “head of state”, identifies high risk of substituting a perfect classifi cation of heads of state (as homogeneous phenomena) with a pseudo classifi cation that combines phenomena corresponding to the heads of state in diff erent meanings.