Immanuel Wallerstein (born in 1930) is a American sociologist .

Formation and university career

Born with New York, Wallerstein makes its studies with the Université of Columbia, in New York, where it obtains a license in 1951, a control in 1954 and a doctorate in philosophy in 1959. He works then as university lecturer until 1971, date on which he becomes professor of sociology to the Université McGill in Montreal. Starting from 1976, it worked as professor of sociology at the university of Binghamton (SUNY), until its retirement in 1999. He worked moreover as director of the Center Fernand Braudel for the Study of the Economy, the historical Systems and Civilizations. Wallerstein occupied several posts of professor fee of university in several countries and accepted many rewards and occupied intermittently the position of director of studies associated with the School with the high studies in social sciences with Paris. He was also the president of the International association of sociology between 1994 and 1998.

Theories

Wallerstein began its career as an expert from the African businesses postcoloniales, the vast majority of its work being entirely dedicated on this subject until beginning of the year 70, when it started to be distinguished as historian and theorist from the capitalist worldwide economy at the macroscopic level. Its very early critic of world capitalism and its support of the “anti-systemic movements” made of him, as well as Noam Chomsky and Pierre Bourdieu, the 3eminence grise of the movement altermondialist.

Its most important contribution, The " Modern World-System" , appeared in three volumes, respectively in 1974,1980 and 1989. Wallerstein takes as a starting point three principal intellectual currents:

• Karl Marx, of which it defends the emphase subjacent economic factors and their importance on the ideological factors in the world politicses.

• Fernand Braudel, the French historian who had described the development of the wide-area networks of economic exchanges of the great empires of the modern time, like their political implications.
• And (probably) its experiment and its impressions drawn from its own work on Africa postcoloniale as well as the various theories concerning the “countries in the process of development”

One of the aspects of its work for which Wallerstein deserves to be recognized is to have anticipated the aggravation of the North-South conflict in full cold period of war. Wallerstein completely rejected the concept of “Third world” and affirmed that there existed one world connected by a complex network of relations of economic exchanges. I.e. one “ economy-world ” or “ system-world ” in which the dichotomy of capital and labor as well as the accumulation of the capital by agents in competition (which historically included/understood the nation-States and not limited to the nation-States) results by frictions.

Wallerstein locates the origin of the modern “system-world” in Europe of the North-West of the 16th century. What was initially a simple advance on the accumulation of the capital in Great Britain and France, due to political circumstances specific to the end of the feudal period, started a process of gradual expansion which leads to a single world network (or system of economic exchange) which exists still today. A significant development proceeded during the era of the imperialism, which virtually put to the whole world in contact with the capitalist economy European.

The capitalist “system-world” is far from being homogeneous, whether it is culturally, politically or economically speaking. It is indeed characterized by basic differences in the development civilisationnel and by the accumulation of political power and capital. Contrary to the theories in favor of universalization and capitalism, Wallerstein does not conceive these differences like simple residues or irregularities which can and will be unobtrusive as the system evolves/moves in a total way. Much more still, according to him, the current division of the world in core, semi-periphery and periphery is in fact a particular characteristic of theworld one. The areas which are remained with the variation of the “system-world” adhere to it as a periphery. There is a division of the labor fundamental and institutional between the heart and the periphery: while the heart has a level of high level technical development and manufactured goods of high complexity, the role of the periphery is to bring the raw materials, the agricultural produce and of the cheap labor for the actors in growth of the core. The economic exchange between the heart and the periphery is unequal: the periphery is obliged to sell its products at low prices but must buy the products of the core to the full price. This inequality, once established, tends to be stabilized because of constraints quasi-determinists. The situations of the core and the periphery on the other hand mutually exclusive and are not fixed at certain geographical areas: they are in fact relative one to the other and move. There exists a zone called semi-periphery which acts like periphery with the core and core with the periphery. At the end of the 20th century, this zone could include/understand Eastern Europe, China and Brazil for example.

As recently showed it Naomi Klein, with the example of the “workshops of misery” of the developed nations, the periphery, the semi-periphery and the core can also coexist of very near in the same geographical area

One of the effects of the expansion of the “system-world” is the continual increase in the Marchandisation of the things, including human labor. The natural resources, the grounds, labor but also the human relations are made little by little tear off their “intrinsic” value and are transformed into goods on a market which dictates their exchange value.

The theory of Wallerstein underwent severe criticisms, not only on behalf of the néolibéraux ones or of the preserving mediums, but also on behalf of historians who gave in doubt some of his historical allegations. It is about certain that Wallerstein tends to neglect cultural dimension, reducing it a little quickly to the state of “official” doctrines of the states concerned. In spite of that, at the present time its theory interests in the most point the movements altermondialists for the constitution of a solid theoretical unit which can support what characterized the traditional Labor movement of S.

Political commitment

It was in particular one of the signatories of the Manifeste of Porto Alegre of the Worldwide social forum.

Quotations

The following paragraphs show that Wallerstein is far from the radical theorist of the revolution, but well the informed expert of the complex character and ambiguities of the world system. (Note: it is not a question of an “official” translation).

At the 16th century, Europe was like an impetuous standard. The attempts at some groups to establish an worldwide economy based on a specific division of labor, to create national States in the vital areas to make of them politico-economic guarantees of this system, and to lead the workmen to pay, not only the profits, but also the expenses of maintenance of the system was not an easy task. It is all with the honor of Europe that this one reached that point, because without the projections of the 16th century, the world such as it is today would not have been born, and in spite of its cruelties, there remains however preferable that he actually was born.

It is even more all with its honor which it was not easy, of as much less than those which were to pay the expenses with short-term did not hesitate to howl the injustice of the system. The peasants and workers in Poland, in England, in Brazil and Mexico were turbulent, each one with their way. Like R.H.Tawney of the agrarian disorders of in England says it: “Such demonstrations are the proof of blood, the muscles and a noble and gallant spirit… Happy the nation whose people did not forget how to rebel! ”

What marks the modern world is the imagination of its profiteurs, opposed to the arrogance of those which they oppress. The exploitation and the refusal to accept it like inevitable or right constitute the duality of the modern era, both uniting in dialectical which more than reached its culminating point at the 20th century.

Source: Mercenary attitude and European consolidation of the economy-world , 1600-1750, p 233.

Work

French bibliography

• Africa and independence , ED. African presence, 1966.

• Inequalities between the States in the international system: origins and perspective , Québécois Center of the international relations, 1975.
• Capitalism and economy-world , 1450-1640, ED. Flammarion, 1980.
• the crisis, which crisis? (with S. Amin, G. Arrighi & A.G. Frank), ED. Maspero, 1982.
• mercenary attitude and European consolidation of the economy-world, 1600-1750 , Volume II: The System of the world of the 15th century at our days, ED. Flammarion, 1984.
• Race, nation, class: Ambiguous identities (with Etienne Balibar), ED. The Discovery, 1988.
• historical capitalism , ED. The Discovery, 1985 edition 2002, with Postface: " Universalization is not nouvelle."
• Impenser social science: To leave the 19th century , ED. University presses of France, 1995.
• great tumult? Social movements in the economy-world (with S. Amin, G. Arrighi & A.G. Frank) ED. The Discovery, 1991.
• To open social sciences . Paris: Descartes & Co, 1996.
• Letters from the President, 1994-1998 . Madrid: International Sociological Association, 1998. * After-Liberalism: Test on a system-World to reinvent , ED. The Tower the Acute ones: Editions of the Paddle, 1999.
• the history continues , ED. paddle, 1999.
• Utopistique, or policy options of the 20th century . The Tower the Acute ones: Editions of the Paddle, 2000.
• a new phase of capitalism? (with François Chesnais, Gerard Duménil & Dominique Levy), ED. Syllepse, 2001.

English bibliography

• 1961 : Africa, The Politics off Independence . New York: Vintage.

• 1964 : The Road to Independence: Ghana and the Ivory Coast . Paris & $the Hague: Sheep.
• 1967 : Africa: The Politics off Unity . New York: Random House.
• 1969: University in Turmoil: The Politics off Exchange . New York: Atheneum.
• 1972 (with Evelyn Jones Rich): Africa: Tradition & Changes . New York: Random House.
• 1974 : The Modern World-System, vol. I: Capitalist Agriculture and the Origins off the European World-Economy in the Sixteenth Century . New York/London: Academic Near.
• 1979 : The Capitalist World-Economy . Cambridge: Cambridge University Near.
• 1980 : The Modern World-System, vol. II: Mercantilism and the Consolidation off the European World-Economy, 1600-1750 . New York: Academic Near.
• 1982 (with Terence K. Hopkins and Al ): World-Systems Analysis: Theory and Methodology . Beverly Hills: Wise.
• 1982 (with Samir Amin, Giovanni Arrighi and Andre Gunder Frank): Dynamics off Total Crisis . London: Macmillan.
• 1983 : Historical Capitalism . London: Back.
• 1984 : The Politics off the World-Economy. The States, the Movements and the Civilizations . Cambridge: Cambridge University Near.
• 1986 : Africa and the Modern World . Trenton, NJ: Africa World Near.
• 1989 : The Modern World-System, vol. III: The Second Great Expansion off the Capitalist World-Economy, 1730-1840' S . San Diego: Academic Near.
• 1989 (with Giovanni Arrighi and Terence K. Hopkins): Antisystemic Movements . London: Back.
• 1990 (with Samir Amin, Giovanni Arrighi and Andre Gunder Frank): Transforming the Revolution: Social Movements and the World-System . New York: Monthly Review Near.
• 1991 (with Etienne Balibar): Race, Nation, Class: Ambiguous Identities . London: Back.
• 1991 : Geopolitics and Geoculture: Essays one the Changing World-System . Cambridge: Cambridge University Close
• 1991: Social Unthinking Science: The Limits off Nineteenth Century Paradigms . Cambridge: Polity.
• 1995 : After Liberalism . New York: New Near.
• 1995 : Historical Capitalism, with Capitalist Civilization . London: Back.
• 1998 : Utopistics: However, Historical Choices off the Twenty-first Century. New York: New Near.
• 1999 : The End off the World Ace We Know It: Social Science for the Twenty-first Century . Mineapolis: University off Minnesota Near.
• 2003 : Declines off American Power: The U.S. in has Chaotic World . New York: New Near.
• 2004 : The Uncertainties off Knowledge . Philadelphia: University temple Near.