World-Systems Analysis: An Introduction

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.

• Modern World-System II
• Historical Capitalism with Capitalist Civilization
• The Modern World-System I
• The Long Twentieth Century: Money, Power and the Origins of Our Times
• Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism
• Why Europe Grew Rich and Asia Did Not: Global Economic Divergence, 1600-1850
• Before European Hegemony: The World System A.D. 1250-1350
• The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy.
• The Modern World-System IV: Centrist Liberalism Triumphant, 1789-1914
• The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time