Re: armchair experts

Hello WSN World,

 I have enjoyed very much reading the comments made
 by Carl Norlund, especially his points concerning the
fact that there is a gap between theory and
practice in all scientific study. Most definately it
is not
limited to World System or World-System anlysis.

No, definately we should not neglect the historical
analysis for expanding the theory. What I do
propose however is the ability to take what we do know
and apply it to current events or places or even
"situations" in a practical fashion that is conducive
to our ideology.

Yes, World System Theory expands far beyond the
past 50 years with its Land Rovers and greed. As you
have suggested with my reference to Wallerstein's
comment on "cotton", there are important historical
features that can be surveyed, analyzed and noted. 
Should these historical features form a pattern, then
there should be method of prediction, if we are able
to
predict historical features, then we should be able to
develop policy that might act as a counter-weight
to possible adverse effects upon human populations.

This is precisely what I attempted to address in my
essay based Goldstone's theory of state breakdown and
revolution (check archives of 2002 discussions). I am
asking if we are up to the challenge of discussing
policy based upon a World System (World-System)
theoretical framework while expanding our existing
knowledge. Isn't anyone curious to see what can be
developed and how feasible 'World System Policies'
are for implementation? Lets get our hands dirty.

Adam

> > --- Carl Nordlund <carl.nordlund@humecol.lu.se>
> wrote:
> > > Yes, these issues, as Paul Riesz refines out of
> Adam
> > > Starrs posting, are
> > > indeed very important and they both deserve
> > > attention.
> > >
> > > Nevertheless, I fail to see a specific
> connection
> > > between these two issues
> > > and world system (or hyphenated world-systems)
> > > analysis. As a 100 percent
> > > pure armchair-theorist, I am well aware of the
> huge
> > > gap which usually exists
> > > between theory and practice (quite often
> experienced
> > > due to competing and
> > > conflicting theories, I guess). But this isn't a
> > > world system-related issue
> > > only - it applies to nearly all areas of
> scientific
> > > study. Just because this
> > > gap exists, it shouldn't refrain us from
> expanding
> > > theory in favour of
> > > practical work; on the contrary!
> > >
> > > "Academics have decided the [sic] to neglect the
> > > realities of situtations"
> > > writes Adam Starr - what is the 'situation'
> then?
> > > The situation now in
> > > Cambodia? The Landrovers driven by
> developmentalists
> > > in Africa? The failure
> > > of modernization programmes in general in
> developing
> > > regions? Or is 'the
> > > situation' a system which has evolved over
> several
> > > centuries, even millenias
> > > according to some, which must be understood
> through
> > > a historical lens? World
> > > system analysis is explicitly proposing that
> 'the
> > > realities of situations'
> > > of today goes further back than the failed
> > > post-50-modernization programmes
> > > and the Land Rover purchases based on personal
> > > greed. Why should the
> > > alternative - world system analysis - refrain
> from
> > > building system theory
> > > just because its theoretical counterpart has
> created
> > > a reality which is
> > > highly scewed what regards income, access to
> > > resources and other various
> > > definitions of 'development'? It isn't exactly
> > > practices based on world
> > > system theory which runs developmentalism at the
> > > moment!
> > >
> > > Theory and empirical studies, such as
> observations,
> > > must go hand in hand for
> > > theory to evolve in a sound manner. In 1995 I
> made a
> > > undergrad research
> > > journey to Malaysia to study indigenous
> industrial
> > > development within the
> > > electronics sector and I found several proofs of
> > > 'global trickle-down' and
> > > self-generating economic and social growth. Does
> > > this observation make this
> > > whole WSN-discussion group obsolete - "hey you
> guys
> > > and gals, neo-liberalism
> > > and FDI:s really work!"? No, because this single
> > > observation must of course
> > > be put in a grander context, ESPECIALLY in world
> > > system theory as it
> > > stretches so far back in time with its
> > > 'Braudelianism' (a nice read:
> > > Wallerstein 1998, "The time of space and the
> space
> > > of time", Pergamon).
> > >
> > > Which makes cotton highly relevant, among many
> other
> > > things not found in
> > > Cambodia or Malaysia today.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > - - -
> > > Carl nordlund, PhD student
> > > carl.nordlund@humecol.lu.se
> > > Human Ecology Division, Lund University, Sweden
> > > www.humecol.lu.se



=====
Adam T. Starr
Undergraduate of Political Science, UVic
3009 Quadra Street, Victoria, British Columbia
V8T 4G2 Canada
(011) (250) 472-1223
adam@hornbyisland.com or reunitedhornby@yahoo.com

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