A World-Systems Reader: New Perspectives on Gender, Urbanism, Cultures, Indigenous Peoples, and Ecology

A World-Systems Reader extends the theoretical territory of world systems theory by bringing it up to date in terms of exploring its relationship to postmodernism, ecology, and globalism. As a result of its breadth, it provides a good introductory text. ― British Sociological Association Newsletter

The book offers perspective on the different views of its contributors and makes the debates among them more visible. This makes the book useful to graduate students entering these contested fields and useful to scholars already campaigning across them. ― Contemporary Sociology

Unlike so many readers, the articles were either specifically written for or adapted to the collection, so that each clearly attempts to serve these editorial goals. The result is a collection that had more coherence than that found in most books of this sort. Among other things, each article provides a door into a rich literature for anyone wanting to pursue a particular topic. This book is both challenging and accessible. It does what no general text can do. It invites students into the conversation about world-system analysis by practitioners in the field. It makes clear that world-system analysis is an evolving and expanding field. It illustrates the wide range of issues to which world-system analysis can be applied. It identifies unanswered questions, and sources of continued debate. It provides examples of how specific empirical questions have been addressed by using a world-systems analytical framework, including basic questions on the future of human society. In short, it helps students see world-systems analysis as an ongoing intellectual enterprise, rather than just another ‘theory’ to be learned. ― Journal Of World-Systems Research

An important contribution to literature, and anyone would benefit from reading it. All of the essays promise to help readers extend their understanding of one of the most important explanatory paradigms of contemporary times. ― Journal of World History

From the Stone Age to the stoned age and from Appalachia to Zanzibar, A World-Systems Reader takes students on a fascinating journey through time and space. The authors demonstrate the range and versatility of this vital and expanding social science perspective through both deft summaries and in-depth examples of contemporary research. A World-Systems Reader is thus an excellent choice for courses on social change. — Walter Goldfrank, University of California