Dear WSN'ers,
I must confess that I share some of Al Bergesen's feelings of frustration
with where the world systems school in North American sociology has led.
I also think it's important to try to understand the paths we've taken to
reach the state that we seem to be in (if it is, indeed, as bad as Al has
suggested). It seems to me that part of the problem stems from the
methodological position that the world system is the only valid unit of
analysis. If you allow yourself only one unit you may describe it, but
what *analysis* can you do? (My Webster's New College Dictionary gives "separation of a whole into its
component parts" as the first entry in its definition of "analysis.")
Either you limit yourself to description, or you find another example of
the same kind of unit so you can at least do a comparative study. As
there's only one world system on the planet today (with "significant"
scope and pervasiveness), you might turn to history, archeology, and
anthropology for evidence from other such units for such comparisons.
So at least some of the "esoteric" topics make sense in a way. However,
for those of us who view understanding the causes, processes, and
consequences of local level inequality and socioeconomic change
(especially as they relate to contemporary global restructuring) as a
priority that particular research agenda appears sometimes as kind of a
loopy sidetrack. Why not drop the self-defeating methodological
orthodoxy of "one unit of analysis" so we can start defining multiple
levels of analysis, determining the various units of analysis which are
appropriate for the respective levels, and addressing directly the
problem of specifying the linkages between macro and micro levels?
Then, we might find ourselves with greater latitude to derive theoretical
models about specific processes within the world system and test them
using data on whatever units serve to answer the theoretical questions
which pertain to, as Al put it, "today's biting issues [which] are
clearly world-system issues." I suppose I should add that at least
that's the direction in which I'm attempting to move (and it's not
making me feel a part of the flock). Given my intentions I hope my
"heresy" is forgivable. Finally, I'll just state my opinion that we've
barely scratched the surface of the possibilities for creative work in
exploring the intersections of world system research with other areas
within sociology.
Sincerely,
Bill Haller
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bill Haller \/ University Center for Social
Department of Sociology /\ and Urban Research (UCSUR)
University of Pittsburgh \/ 121 University Place, 6th floor
email: wxhst3+@pitt.edu.us /\ Pittsburgh, PA 15213-9972
-------------------------------------------------------------------