Globalization: Theoretical Initiatives

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• Globalization Theoretical Initiatives
• Immanuel Wallerstein World Systems Analysis
• David Held Three Theoretical Perspectives on
  Globalization

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The Context of Globalization Theory Film clip
from The Commanding Heights
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• Immanuel Wallerstein World Systems Theory
• A historical sociologisthistory is his data
  for developing a theory of global social change
  since the 16th century
• The world system as the basic unit of analysis
• Wallerstein tells us that the individual
  society is not a useful level of analysis (p.
  261)
• Discuss why should that be the case?

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• Immanuel Wallerstein World Systems Theory
• Two types of world systems
• World empires
• World economies
• Quote CM p. 257

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• Immanuel Wallerstein World Systems Theory
• Books organized around the cycles of the world
  capitalist system, each involving fundamental
  shifts of power
• System based on inequality and exploitation
  core, periphery, semi-periphery
• A Marxism on a world scale (quote, p. 260)

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Broad Theoretical Perspectives on
Globalization David Held, Introduction to
Global Transformations What his basic argument in
these first ten pages?
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Making Sense of Globalization Three Schools of
Thought

• Discuss with textual analysis
• Hyperglobalist thesis (and its two normative
  variants)
• Skeptical thesis
• Transformationalist thesis