Immanuel Wallerstein and the Problem of the World

David Palumbo-Liu

Description

In this collection of essays, leading cultural theorists consider the meaning and implications of world-scale humanist scholarship by engaging with Immanuel Wallerstein's world-systems analysis. The renowned sociologist developed his influential critical framework to explain the historical and continuing exploitation of the rest of the world by the West. World-systems analysis reflects Wallerstein's conviction that understanding global inequality requires thinking on a global scale. Humanists have often criticized his theory as insufficiently attentive to values and objects of knowledge such as culture, agency, difference, subjectivity, and the local. The editors of this collection do not deny the validity of those criticisms; instead, they offer Wallerstein's world-systems analysis as a well-developed vision of the world scale for humanists to think with and against. Scholars of comparative literature, gender, geography, history, law, race, and sociology consider what thinking on the world scale might mean for particular disciplinary practices, knowledge formations, and objects of study. Several essays offer broader reflections on what is at stake for the study of culture in decisions to adopt or reject world-scale thinking. In a brief essay, Immanuel Wallerstein situates world-systems analysis vis-a-vis the humanities.Contributors. Gopal Balakrishnan, Tani E. Barlow, Neil Brenner, Richard E. Lee, Franco Moretti, David Palumbo-Liu, Bruce Robbins, Helen Stacy, Nirvana Tanoukhi, Immanuel Wallerstein, Karen Wigen

Sujets

• Social theory
• Literary theory

Informations

• Publié par: Duke University Press
• Date de parution: 18 février 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780822393344
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

IMMànUELWàLLERsTEin àndThEPRobLEMofThEWoRLd

IMMànUELWàLLERsTEin àndThEPRobLEMofThEWoRLd

SyStem, Scale, culture

Dàvid PàLUMbo-iU, BRUCE obbins, àndiRvànàànoUkhi,EdiToRs

uKe uNîVerSîty preSS Durham and London 2011

© 2011 DUkE ÛnivERsiTY PREss

ALL RighTs REsERvEd

PRinTEd in ThE ÛniTEd ŚTàTEs

of AMERiCà on àCid-FREE àER ♾

YEsET in ÇàRTER & ÇonE GàLLiàRd bY

sEng InFoRMàTion ŚYsTEMs, InC.

ibRàRY of ÇongREss ÇàTàLoging-in-

PUbLiCàTion DàTà ànd REUbLiCàTion

àCknowLEdgMEnTs àEàR on ThE LàsT

RinTEd àgE of This book.

ACknowLEdgMEnTs vii

ÇonTEnTs

InTRodUCTion: HE osT IMoRTànT Hing àEning 1

PA R T 1 .  System and Responsibility

Richard E. Lee•HE odERn WoRLd-ŚYsTEM: ITs ŚTRUCTUREs, ITs GEoCULTURE, ITs ÇRisis ànd RànsFoRMàTion 27

Bruce Robbins•41BLàMing ThE ŚYsTEM

PA R T 2 .  Literature: Restructured, Rehistoricized, Rescaled

Franco Moretti•WoRLd-ŚYsTEMs AnàLYsis, ÉvoLUTionàRY HEoRY,Weltliteratur67

Nirvana Tanoukhi•TàRUTiREE87EHàLŚCofEoRWLd

PA R T 3 . Remapping, Recognizing Respatializing,

Neil Brenner•RoW:dLfoEEhTEHàCŚTàTE-BEYondŚ ÇEnTRisM? 101

Kären Wigen•ÇàRTogRàhiEs of ÇonnECTion: OCEàn às às ETàhoRs FoR InTER-AREà isToRY 138

Tani E. Barlo•WhàT Is à PoEM?: HE ÉvEnT of WoMEn ànd ThE odERn GiRL às PRobLEMs in GLobàL oR WoRLd isToRY 155

PA R T 4 .  Ethics, Otherness, System

Helen Stacy•187HE EgàL ŚYsTEM of InTERnàTionàL ighTs

David Palumbo-Liu•àTionàLiTY ànd WoRLd-ŚYsTEMs AnàLYsis: ànon ànd ThE IMàCT of ThE ÉThiCo-isToRiCàL 202

Immanuel Wallerstein•223Hinking àboUT ThE “UMàniTiEs”

Gopal Balakrishnan•227HE wiLighT of ÇàiTàL?

BibLiogRàhY 233

ÇonTRibUToRs 249

IndEx 251

ACknowLEdgMEnTs

His voLUME is dERivEd FRoM à ConFEREnCE ConvEnEd ànd oRgànizEd bY iRvànà ànoUkhi àT ŚTànFoRd ànd sonsoREd bY ThE PRogRàM in odERn HoUghT ànd iTERàTURE. HE iniTiàL sET of qUEsTions ThàT gUidEd ThE àRTiCi- ànTs EMERgEd FRoM This sTàTEMEnT:

“GLobàLizàTion” hàs RECEnTLY RELàCEd “osTCoLoniàLisM” ànd “diàsoRà” às ThE bUzzwoRd in ThE hUMàniTiEs ànd hUMànisTiC soCiàL sCiEnCEs, RE- sEnTing ThE disCiLinEs wiTh ThE ChàLLEngE of dEsCRibing “woRLd-sCàLE” hEnoMEnà. owEvER, This ChàLLEngE hàs TRiggEREd à vàRiEd ànd UnEvEn REsonsE àCRoss ThE disCiLinEs. oR ExàMLE, whiLE hisToRY hàs MovEd àwàY FRoM BRàUdELiàn hisToRiogRàhY TowàRds “CoMàRàTivE,” “MigRà- Tion,” ànd “boRdER” sTUdiEs, CoMàRàTivE LiTERàTURE hàs UndERgonE à shiFT àwàY FRoM TRàdiTionàL “inUEnCE” sTUdiEs To MosT RECEnTLY wiTnEss à REvi- vàL of ThE qUEsTion of “woRLd LiTERàTURE.” ÉàCh disCiLinE hàs CondUCTEd iTs own ExERiMEnT wiTh ànàLYTiCàL FRàMEwoRks EsoUsing woRLd-sCàLE àM- biTions, àMong whiCh hàs bEEn WàLLERsTEin’s inUEnTiàL woRLd-sYsTEMs ànàLYsis. ARE ThEsE ExERiMEnTs RELEvànT To CURREnT METhodoLogiCàL dE- bàTEs? DoEs ThE gLobàLizàTion dEbàTE wàRRànT à REConsidERàTion of woRLd- sCàLE ànàLYsis FoR ThE sTUdY of sUbjECTs LikE woRLd LiTERàTURE, gLobàL Envi- RonMEnTàL EThiCs, oR osT-nàTionàL govERnànCE? And iF, in This EnTERRisE of “gLobàL” knowLEdgE, “ThE woRLd” CànnoT bE TàkEn às à TRàCTàbLE UniT of ànàLYsis, whàT Càn?

 HE EssàYs ThàT wERE oRiginàLLY REsEnTEd àddREssEd sUCh qUEsTions, ànd RàisEd ThEiR own in TURn, whiCh hàs LEd To ThE REshàing ànd REConsidERàTion of oUR sTàRTing oinT, às wàs inTEndEd ànd hoEd FoR.  BEsidEs ThEsE àRTiCiànTs, àni BàRLow, GoàL BàLàkRishnàn, EiL BREn- nER, ELEn ŚTàCY, ànd äREn WigEn kindLY àgREEd To àdd ThEiR ThoUghTs To oUR ConvERsàTion. ALong wiTh ThE àUThoRs of ThE EssàYs ConTàinEd hERE, wE

viii acKNÔlemeNtS

woULd LikE To Thànk ThE FoLLowing individUàLs who REsEnTEd ThEiR ThoUghTs àT ThE ConFEREnCE: iisà àLkki, Aihwà Ong, Annà sing, iChàEL WàTTs, AkhiL GUTà, ànd ThE LàTE iChàRd oRTY. WE woULd àLso LikE To Thànk oniCà ooRE ànd Jàn àFnER FoR ThEiR hàRd woRk in sTàïng ThE ConFEREnCE.

—Dàvid PàLUMbo-iU, BRUCE obbins, iRvànà ànoUkhi

InTRodUCTion

eMostImportantingHappening

“I hàd à gUT FEELing in ThE 1950s,” IMMànUEL WàLLERsTEin wRiTEs FTY YEàRs LàTER, “ThàT ThE MosT iMoRTànT Thing hàEning in ThE TwEnTiETh CEnTURY wàs ThE sTRUggLE To ovERCoME ThE ConTRoL bY ThE WEsT of ThE REsT of ThE woRLd.”  In ThE 1950s WàLLERsTEin (boRn in 1930) wàs in his TwEnTiEs. HE gUT FEEL- ings ThinkERs hàvE in ThEiR TwEnTiEs TEnd To bE sELF-FoRMàTivE. In dECiding whàT is “ThE MosT iMoRTànT Thing hàEning” in YoUR CEnTURY, YoU àLso dECidE, if YoU àRE àMbiTioUs EnoUgh, whàT ThE LàRgEsT Thing wiLL bE in YoUR inTELLECTUàL LiFE, whiCh is To sàY whàT YoU nEEd To gURE oUT, oR whoM YoU wànT To bE às à ThinkER. In WàLLERsTEin’s CàsE, whàT gàvE hiM ThàT gUT FEEL- ing TURnEd oUT To bE LàRgE EnoUgh To gUidE hiM ThRoUgh à hàLF-CEnTURY ànd MoRE of ExTRàoRdinàRY inTELLECTUàL àChiEvEMEnT. In This sEnsE, àMong oThERs, iT sEEMs àRoRiàTE To sàY ThàT LàRgE is bEàUTiFUL.  As MoMEnTs of sELF-oRiEnTàTion àboUT ThE MosT iMoRTànT Thing hà- Ening, gUT FEELings oRgànizE whàT wiLL bE visibLE To Us, iMàTiEnTLY soRT- ing oUT whàT doEsn’T MàTTER àLL ThàT MUCh FRoM whàT REàLLY doEs. In RECEnT YEàRs WàLLERsTEin hàs TURnEd his àTTEnTion To àCàdEMiC disCiLinEs ànd ThE oRdERing of knowLEdgE—àgàin, à LàRgE viEw of LàRgE sUbjECTs, ànd sUbjECTs To whiCh ThE ChàTERs gàThEREd hERE wiLL RETURn. BUT ThE singLE MosT ConsisTEnT ThREàd RUnning ThRoUgh his LEngThY CàREER is ThàT visCERàL ERCETion of ThE 1950s. WhàT hàs MàTTEREd To hiM MosT oFTEn hàs bEEn EvidEnCE ThàT CoULd bE bRoUghT To bEàR on “ThE ConTRoL bY ThE WEsT of ThE REsT of ThE woRLd,” on ThE UnEqUàL disTRibUTion of REsoURCEs ànd LiFE ChànCEs ThàT hàs REsULTEd FRoM iT, on how gLobàL inEqUàLiTY Càn bE UndERsTood ànd EvEnTUàLLY, hoEFULLY, Un- donE. AnYThing ELsE hàs MàTTEREd LEss. IT is ThE bRiLLiànT singLE-MindEdnEss of his ConCERn wiTh This vERY LàRgE issUE ThàT is ThE Màin soURCE of his inTEL- LECTUàL inUEnCE ànd ThE Màin REàson FoR This ExisTEnCE of This voLUME.  His is noT àLwàYs how oThERs hàvE TàkEn WàLLERsTEin, noR is iT how hE