4g/o1 2" - gO? TEXTO LY Tet wage eee (8 ¥ World-System eon) aus hte THOMA. REQGHARD SHANNON sauisia 9anadsiag WoIsAs-pLIOK 9m 01 VONDAPOST| UY voxWorld-Systegfi Structure he specific claims of world-system theory can be separated (some: «lfickilly) into statements about system “structure” and system "The former comprises the defining chartctertatica of the Its components, and the relationships smong those components ‘The latter concerns the processes of change to and within the structure This chapter will examine the general nature of world-system struc: ture, The first concern will be to Identify its most general feauures. AS have other theorists before them, those working within world-system theory see the modern era one in which & new type of social system emerged, They have sought co specify its central characteristics. a what sets it apart from past social systems. The second concern will he to determine the nature of the system's most Important component parts an how world-system theorists define them. The discussion will ‘conclude with an examination of the claims these theorists make about the processes and relationships among those components—that is, about how the system works, General Features heorists is that an ‘The most basic claim made by world-system theorist identifiable social system exists that extends beyond the boundaries of individual societies or nations, These theorists argue that it is a mistake to view the world of Independent socledes that canbe analyaed nal to them. Rather, these theorists by focusing solely on events internal t | ; cori claim that the social structure of individual societies has to be undi stood within the context created by a larger system. That system is the set of relatively stable economic and political relationships that 20 World-system structure 21 has characterized @ major portion of the globe since the sixteenth century, Initially the system was limited to Europe and South America Jn the sixteenth century. Since that time, it has expanded to incorporate all or almost all areas of the world (Hopkins, 1982a; Wallerstein, 1984b, Chase-Dunn, 1984). This world-system has Several key characteristics The economic organization of the world-system consists of 1 single. worldwide division of labor that unifies the multiple cultura! systems of the world’s peoples into a single, integrated economic. syste (Wallerstein, 19798: 5). By claiming that there is a single division of labor, world:system theorists are rejecting the more conventional ap- roach, which his viewed the world-economy as composed of isolated and independent national economies that just happen to trade with fone another. Wallerstein explains what he means by this single. in tegrated world-economy as follows: ‘The concept “world-economy” assumes that there exists an “economy"* - Af but only IF. . . there Is an ongoing, extensive and telalvely complete social division of labor with an Integrated set of production Processes which relate to each other through n “market” whieh Ins been “instituted” or “ereated' in some complex way (Wallerstein, 1984 59). Wallerstein has also attempted to specify what he means by a ‘relatively complete social division of labor.” Such a division exists when there is an “economic grid which is substantially interdependent” (Wallerstein, 19792: 14). In turn, such Interdependence exists when the exchange of goods in the system consists of those considered “essential” to the various trading partners. In other words, the trading partners could not continue the economic activities they consider central ‘o their well-being without continuing the exchange. Economic activities in each part of a true world-economy depend on and make possible the activities in the other parts (Wallerstein, 1979: 14). The result {s an economic system that includes a number of cultucat areas, states, or societies but constitutes single economy based on complex division of labor. Each part or area has acquired a specialized role producing goods that it trades to others to obtain what it needs, Thus, the world-economy is tied together by a complex network of slobal economic exchange (Wallerstein, 1984b; 60-61, 1979. 5, 14- 15). By Itself, the existence of geographically extensive economies with integrated, interdependent divisions of labor 1s not unique to the modern era, Ancient empires, such as Rome and China, ereated stuch economies, Wallerstein characterizes such empires as ‘world systems Within theie political boundaries, (Trade existed between the empires,