World-Systems Analysis: An Introduction

by Immanuel Wallerstein

In World-Systems Analysis , Immanuel Wallerstein provides a concise and accessible introduction to the comprehensive approach that he pioneered thirty years ago to understanding the history and development of the modern world. Since Wallerstein first developed world-systems analysis, it has become a widely utilized methodology within the historical social sciences and a common point of reference in discussions of globalization. Now, for the first time in one volume, Wallerstein offers a succinct summary of world-systems analysis and a clear outline of the modern world-system, describing the structures of knowledge upon which it is based, its mechanisms, and its future. Wallerstein explains the defining characteristics of world-systems analysis: its emphasis on world-systems rather than nation-states, on the need to consider historical processes as they unfold over long periods of time, and on combining within a single analytical framework bodies of knowledge usually viewed as distinct from one another—such as history, political science, economics, and sociology. He describes the world-system as a social reality comprised of interconnected nations, firms, households, classes, and identity groups of all kinds. He identifies and highlights the significance of the key moments in the evolution of the modern world-system: the development of a capitalist world-economy in the sixteenth-century, the beginning of two centuries of liberal centrism in the French Revolution of 1789, and the undermining of that centrism in the global revolts of 1968. Intended for general readers, students, and experienced practitioners alike, this book presents a complete overview of world-systems analysis by its original architect.

Genres: History, Politics, Sociology, Nonfiction, Economics, Philosophy, World History

110 pages, Paperback

First published August 27, 2004

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

[BVC]

Utile e breve testo da leggere, magari, prima di affrontare la serie di quattro testi sul world-system. Riassume quanto lì già trovabile e vi sono espresse altre idee anche da lì intuibili: il rifiuto della frammentarietà dipartimentale delle varie scienze sociali, l'influenza di Braudel e delle onde di Kondratiev, il superamento di positivisti nomotetici e dei marxisti ortodossi nello studio della storia, e compagnia bella. Nel capitolo finale si esprimono alcune posizioni circa la crisi del sistema attuale.

[Matteo Mugnaini]

Il libro risulta molto interessante anche al netto dei problemi analitici, metodologici e epistemologici che presenta (oltre a quelli di spazio figli del fatto che sia una semplice introduzione).
Il vero problema per quanto mi riguarda è lo stile di scrittura che rende faticosa e indigesta la lettura.
Altra nota negativa il formato di stampa e di impaginazione. Per quanto l’edizione sia molto curata in sé il formato è fastidioso e disturba la lettura.

[Fiore]

Un saggio che di sociologia scritto in meniera estremamente limpida, che scuote.