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This work explores essential debates on globalization and world-systems analysis. It begins with a review of theoretical insights from world-systems analysis and explains the evolution of its terminology. The book subsequently seeks to answer several important questions: When did globalization begin and what insights into contemporary globalization may be gained from older forms? How does globalization differ in different places, and how can different instances of globalization be compared? Who is affected by globalization, how are they affected, and how do these effects vary, if at all, over time and space? As world-systems analysis and studies of globalization require interdisciplinary expertise, the contributing authors draw on many fields, including anthropology, economics, geography, philosophy, political science, sociology, and world history. The book's overall goal is to facilitate the dialogue between approaches that, at times, seem to "talk at cross-purposes," and to extend an invitation to scholars from many different areas to explore globalization.

I compare and contrast two "southwestern"" frontiers: the southwestern United States. long northeast New Spain (short hand: New Mexico) and southwest China (short hand: Yunnan). Both have been. and even today remain. frontier zones. In the 2]51 century both are also important borderlands for two of the most important players in the modern world-system. the United States and China. They share a historical orientation to the areas outside of the two states into which they were ultimately incorporated. Both brought a great deal of new practices and ideas into the incorporating states. They serve to give deep historical backgrounds which put discussions of contemporary globalization in perspective. This comparison also makes clear that the concepts of nation-state and precise borders are typically modern and that setting precise borders is a continuing project. even while borderlands remain. like the frontiers that preceded them. frontier zones. These comparisons may also yield insights into world-system expansion and incorporation.

About sixteen months ago we began discussing commissioning a series of review essays on Arrighi's Adam Smith in Beijing. The original idea was to publish a collection of essays from various world-systems scholars, and have Arrighi respond. As we all know, Giovanni became ill and sadly passed in summer of 2009. In commissioning the essays as book review editor I faced a special challenge. Some likely writers had already committed to essays for other venues (e.g., Janet Abo-Lughod 2008; Chris Chase-Dunn forthcoming). I also wanted to get a variety of approaches so that the entire collection would represent a diverse set of views. The following essays do that. We are especially fortunate to have an essay from Robert Denemark, who I asked to comment on Andre Gunder Frank's probable take(s) on Adam Smith in Beijing. The remaining essays offer various insights into this important work.

This paper examines ways in which world-system analysis can be employed fruitfully to explore frontier social processes. Conversely, it also examines how frontier social processes and events can be very valuable explorations of highly localized processes – geographically and temporally – of world-systems. The study of frontier regions can help to uncover the ways in which many world-systemic contexts shape local human agency. Conversely, the study of these highly localized human practices offers ways to gain insights to how individual actions constantly reconstruct world-systems. Finally, many of the lessons learned here with respect to frontiers, especially in regard to ethnic and national identity formation and transformation can be extended to other social concerns.

Why review a series of books and articles on the rise and fall of chiefdoms in this stet—other than my obvious penchant for reading and writing about such topics? The brief answer is that the kind of cycling (rise and fall) that occurs in chiefdoms has analogues in state-based world-systems. In particular, the probabalistic nature of the transitions from chiefdom to state means that there are lots of "near misses," or examples of failed transitions. The growing literature on such cycling suggests these transitions are the result of Braudelian conjunctures—all the right pieces falling into place at the right time and place—but nonetheless the result of systematic, or I argue world-systematic processes. Furthermore, initial evidence shows that ideology and individual actors play signi?cant roles in such transitions. Kent Flannery (1999) argues that structure and agency rather than being antithetical, are complementary. Via several examples he shows how in certain phases of chiefdom cycling space, or opportunity, is opened for especially potent actions by leaders, and for ideology to play a much stronger than usual role in social, political, and cultural change. Thus, examination of such events gives some insight into the roles of ideology and individuals in system transformation.

This article presents one way to approach the case study vs theoretically driven approach to teaching comparative courses. The goal is to actively engage students in doing international studies, not simply reading about the work of others. The method derives a broad set of case studies from some theoretical approach. Students then conduct & present their own case studies. Students then use their own case studies & those examined by the class as a whole as vehicles for interrogating, critiquing, & extending that theoretical approach. These final exercises in theory-building are a significant part of this approach. The specific example presented here uses world-systems analysis as the vehicle for organizing comparative study of frontiers. However, this method could readily employ other theoretical models to examine other theoretical &/or empirical puzzles via specific case studies. 86 References. Adapted from the source document.