Sabine Schmidt: Conflict and violence at the local level
Basic assumptions of world-system theory
In world-system theory, the importance of economic interlinkages between social
units, which might be for instance tribes, regions, states, for explaining internal pro-
cesses leads to extending the frame of analysis beyond the social units to a larger social
system, encompassing these relationships. This larger social system is called a âworld-
systemâ. It is regarded to be "largely self-contained", being able to function even when
cut off from external forces (Wallerstein 1974: 347)? A world-system is conceptu-
alized as consisting of three zones: core, periphery, and semiperiphery, which are hier-
archically organized and characterized by unequal exchange and division of labor. The
periphery and semiperiphery provide the core with raw materials, including agricultu-
ral products, perform skills on a low technological level and also serve as markets for
some of the goods produced in the core. The core specializes on secondary produc-
tion, and highly skilled labor. The position of a given social unit within the world-sys-
tem becomes the key explanatory variable in Wallerstein's scheme. Thus processes
within a social unit are to be explained in accordance with its function in relation to the
unit of analysis, the world-system.
Wallerstein differentiates between pre-capitalist world-system, which he calls
âworld empiresâ* and the modern world-system, which is traced back to the presumed
rise of capitalism? in the early 16th century (as Wallerstein tries to show in his encyclo-
pedic historical study). World empires are, according to Wallerstein characterized by
their overlap of a single political system and the economic system constituting the
world empire. The modern world-system, also called world-economy, in contrast
consists of a number of political systems (1974: 348). Conflicts and war are constant
features of a world-system, varying in form and scope with the zones of the world-sys-
tem. The core, for instance, is reknown for its expansionist drive, employing military
means towards the achievement of economic goals.
World-system position and patterns of warfare
If world-system position is indeed the crucial variable in explaining internal pheno-
mena of social units, is should be related to warfare paterns as well. This has been ex-
plored in a cross-cultural study by White and Moore (1988, see also White 1990, this
volume). World-system position was measured for a sample of preindustrial societies
> Wallerstein also acknowledges the existence of âmini-systemsâ, i.e. very small social systems, which also
Fulfill the criteria of being self-sufficient (1974: 348).
China, Egypt, Rome are cited as examples of world-empires (Wallerstein 1979 quoted in Chirot and Hall
1982: 84)
* Wallerstein does not distinguish between mercantile and industrial capitalism, like other authors do (e.g.
Wolf 1982: 85).