ABSTRACT
World-system theory is part of a larger theoretical movement that emerged in US sociology in the 1970s. It represented part of an attempt to replace the then-dominant structural-functionalist theory with models derived from the Marxist theoretical tradition. Most theorizing in US sociology about large-scale, long-term social change prior to world-system theory was virtually ahistorical. Despite some notable individual practitioners, "historical sociology" was only a minor subtopic in US sociology. Not enough attention has been given to various internal factors, particularly internal class relationships and political structures, in accounting for either the problems of peripheral societies or change in core societies. Moreover, despite some recent efforts, very limited attention has been given the role of culture in shaping developments in particular societies. World-system theory is part of a general revival of concern about the nature of global historical change. Some theorists propose approaches explicitly intended as alternatives to world-system theory and designed to correct many of its shortcomings.
