WST and Prigogine

Our discussion on relating the World-Systems Theory to Prigogine's Theory 
of Dissipative Structures revealed some creative ways that WST experts are 
trying to combine these two theories, e.g., A.Gunder Frank's project to 
RE-ORIENT modern history  by looking at the far-from-equilibrium  world 
system as a dissipative structure that draws  in energy and matter 
(capital?) from the environment  and disposes of entropy (waste products) 
into the periphery.

 Some conceptual clarity would be helpful. Is AGF thinking of a world 
system exhibiting a center-semiperiphery-periphery structure (as 
Wallerstein does) or just a center-periphery structure.? Is he 
conceptualizing these structural components  as sub-systems of the 
whole?  Each of the two/three subsystems would be absorbing capital from 
each other?  The entropy from the center/semiperiphery ends up mostly in 
the periphery? If so what about the system as a whole? Is each of the 
subsystems also far-from-equilibrium?

I got the feeling that AGF's project is more of an approximation than a 
faithful reflection of Prigogine's theory.



Shelton A. Gunaratne, professor
Mass communications department
Minnesota State University Moorhead
1104 Seventh Ave. S.
Moorhead, MN 56563
U.S.A.

Tel.:  (218) 236-4035 (office)
        (218) 233-0453 (home)
Fax: (218) 291-4333
E-mail: gunarat@mnstate.edu