Introduction

This chapter develops a theory of transformations of world-systems useful for creating a more humane and collectively rational world in the future. A major breakthrough in the social sciences that may help us to re-examine the present in light of the past has been the discovery and analysis of social structures and processes beyond the level of the national state—the discovery of the "modern world-system." Though world-systems theory was developed to explain the history of national societies and global patterns of development in the modern age, it is not simply a matter of "international relations." The core/periphery hierarchy is a fundamental structure of the modern world-system that is reproduced over time rather than eliminated by national development. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. It discusses a basic model and then describes how and why it changes at times, leading to transformations of world-systems.