World-Systems Analysis

Abstract

Abstract
World-Systems Analysis is a macro-level approach to history and social change that views the entire global capitalist economy as the primary unit of social analysis, rather than individual nation-state . World-Systems Analysis, pioneeringly developed by Immanuel Wallerstein, offers a macroscopic institutional approach to understanding global history and social change. This framework shifts the unit of analysis from the isolated nation-state to a unified global structure known as the capitalist world-economy. This system is structurally divided into a tripartite division of labour: the dominant core zones, which monopolize high-profit, technologically advanced production; the exploited periphery zones, relegated to low-wage labor and raw material extraction; and the stabilizing semi-periphery zones, which exhibit characteristics of both. Driven by the relentless imperative of continuous capital accumulation, this global division enforces unequal exchange, structurally trapping peripheral zones in a cycle of dependency. This paper examines the historical emergence, structural mechanics, and systemic contradictions of the world-system. Ultimately, it analyzes how contemporary globalization, shifting geopolitical hegemonies, and worsening economic crises signals that the modern world-system has entered a structural crisis, paving the way for a transition toward an uncertain future system