Immanuel Wallerstein was an American sociologist and historical social scientist best known for developing world-systems theory, presented across the multi-volume work The Modern World-System (1974 to 2011). He argued that the appropriate unit of analysis for understanding modern history is not the individual nation-state but the capitalist world-economy as a whole, structured since the sixteenth century into a hierarchy of core, semi-peripheral, and peripheral zones bound together by unequal exchange. His framework, which drew on dependency theory and the French Annales school of history, became one of the most influential large-scale accounts of the origins and dynamics of global capitalism.
Facts
Nationality / Culture Defining ContributionBest known for developing the world-systems approach in sociology. 1 Notable WorkThe Modern World-System 1 Connections
Associated With
Wallerstein world-systems theory modeled the modern capitalist world economy as a single hierarchical system whose core-periphery structure extends the logic of empire across the globe.
Practices Studied
Source Immanuel Wallerstein (Wikipedia)
Theories Developed
Immanuel Wallerstein originated world-systems theory in The Modern World-System, modeling the global economy as a single core-periphery-semi-periphery system rather than a set of separate national developments.
In the Other Atlases
Nationality
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Source Immanuel Wallerstein (Wikipedia)Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia articleQuote, Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article
Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein ( also ; September 28, 1930 – August 31, 2019) was an American sociologist and economic historian.
Sources
1. Immanuel Wallerstein (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead paragraph, opening sentence (birth date)
Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein (September 28, 1930, August 31, 2019) was an American sociologist and economic historian.
Lead paragraph, opening sentence (birth year)
Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein (September 28, 1930, August 31, 2019) was an American sociologist and economic historian.
Lead paragraph, opening sentence (death date)
Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein (September 28, 1930, August 31, 2019) was an American sociologist and economic historian.
Lead paragraph, opening sentence (death year)
Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein (September 28, 1930, August 31, 2019) was an American sociologist and economic historian.
Lead paragraph, opening sentence (nationality)
Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein (September 28, 1930, August 31, 2019) was an American sociologist and economic historian.
Lead paragraph, second sentence (defining contribution)
He is perhaps best known for his development in sociology of world-systems approach.
Academic career section, World-System paragraph
Wallerstein's most important work, The Modern World-System, appeared in four volumes between 1974 and 2011.
Personal life and education section (birthplace sentence)
In 1923, the Wallerstein family emigrated to New York, where Immanuel was born.
Practices Studied: Capitalism, Article text
Contrary to affirmative theories of modernization and capitalism, Wallerstein did not conceive of these differences as mere residues or irregularities that can and will be overcome as the system evolves.
View the Source Wikidata: Immanuel Wallerstein
Wikidata Q494287, class allow-list match, case-insensitive label variant (w-bbfill-smallsix2-0926/resolve_ci.ps1)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.