Wallerstein, Immanuel

Immanuel Wallerstein was a sociologist and historian who developed the world-systems theory, which explains global economic and political relations as a single interconnected system. He argued that the world is divided into core, semi-periphery, and periphery regions, with wealth and power concentrated in the core countries that dominate others through capitalism, trade, and politics. This system perpetuates inequality, as periphery nations provide resources and cheap labor, benefiting the core. Wallerstein’s work helps us understand global inequalities, historical development, and how economic and political dominance shape international relations over time.