Читать книгу Sociology - Anthony Giddens - Страница 188

With its origins in the work of Marx and Marxism, world-systems theory has faced some similar criticisms. First, the theory tends to emphasize the economic dimension of social life and underplays the role of culture in explanations of social change (Barfield 2000). It may be argued, for example, that one reason why Australia and New Zealand were able to move out of the periphery more easily than others was because of their close cultural ties to British industrialization, which allowed an industrial culture to take root more quickly.

Second, the theory underplays the role of ethnicity, which is seen merely as a defensive reaction against the globalizing forces of the world-system. Therefore, major differences of religion and language are not considered to be particularly significant. Finally, Wallerstein’s thesis is seen as overly state-centred, concentrating on the nation-state as a central unit of analysis. But this makes it more difficult to theorize the process of globalization, which involves transnational corporations and interests that operate across nation-state boundaries (Robinson 2011). Of course, Wallerstein and his supporters have sought to counter these arguments over recent years.