Geopolitics and Geoculture: Essays on the Changing World-System

by Immanuel Wallerstein

This is the third volume of Immanuel Wallerstein's essays to appear in Studies in Modern Capitalism, following the immensely successful collections The Politics of the World Economy and The Capitalist World Economy. Written between 1982 and 1989, the essays in this volume offer Wallerstein's perspective on the events of the period, and the background to his interpretation of the momentous events of 1989. Wallerstein argues that the collapse of the Iron Curtain and the process of perestroika bear out his basic that the decline of U.S. hegemony in the world-system is the central explanatory variable of change; and that the collapse of the communist empire and the approach of European unity cannot be understood without reference to this decline as a critical stage in the cyclical rhythm of the capitalist world economy. As part of the analysis the book also charts the development of a challenge to the dominant "geoculture": the cultural framework within which the world-system operates. This collection offers the latest ideas of one of the most original and controversial thinkers of recent years, and is bound to stimulate debate among students and scholars across the social sciences.

Genres: Social Science, Nonfiction

250 pages, Hardcover

First published July 26, 1991

About the author

Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein was a scholar of politics, sociologist, historical social scientist, and world-systems analyst. His bimonthly commentaries on world affairs were syndicated.

Reviews

[Ricardo · Rating 2 out of 5]

La redacción del libro es innecesariamente técnica para explicar conceptos sencillos. Además, a lo largo de los ensayos se visualiza una perspectiva muy alejada de la realidad. Sin embargo, es importante tener en consideración que al momento de escribirse el libro la realidad geopolítica mundial era muy diferente a la actual.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Since culture is so fluid and so flexible, it is virtually impossible to make any sensible projections of this. We do better to make projections about the world-economy and the world political system (including the antisystemic movements found everywhere) and assume that the protagonists will make "cultural" claims whose details may vary enormously but whose utility can be analyzed. The point is that if we want to know the traditions of the near future the last place we should look is at the traditions of the near past."

[Juan Moreno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muy pesado de leer