"The authors combine an excellent state-of-the-art review of the literature in world-systems analysis with a vigorous presentation of their own quite coherent views. This book is a major contribution to our collective dialogue on the past and the future." -Immanuel Wallerstein Binghamton University, author of The Modern World-System "An up-to-date and synthetic overview of current world-systems research. The authors draw on diverse literatures from political science to archaeology, from contemporary policy issues to Native American studies, and from history to sociology. This thoughtful volume serves as both a provocative summary of ongoing scholarship and a fertile foundation for future cross-disciplinary dialogue." -Gary M. Feinman University of Wisconsin-Madison "To understand the evolution of the world's political economy, we need empirical theories that can handle 'ancient' and 'modern' processes, a longer time frame encompassing multiple millennia, and less concern about trespassing in other people's disciplines. Chase-Dunn and Hall's new book, Rise and Demise, delivers all three with noteworthy style and effect." -William Thompson Indiana University "Rise and Demise is a wide ranging and stimulating synthesis of the world-systems approach and its main findings. Its broad coverage of parallel social processes in various regions and time periods convincingly makes the argument that world-systems theory is able to integrate many diverse historical and social science specializations." -Richard E. Blanton Purdue University

Christopher Chase-Dunn is professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University. Thomas D. Hall is Lester M. Jones Professor of Sociology at DePauw University. Christopher Chase-Dunn is professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University. Thomas D. Hall is Lester M. Jones Professor of Sociology at DePauw University.

Preface -- Introduction -- Concepts and Definitions -- A Hundred Flowers Bloom: Approaches to World-Systems -- Defining World-Systems -- Two, Three, Many World-Systems -- Explaining World-System Evolution -- New Territories: The Problem of Incorporation -- The Semiperiphery: Seedbed of Change -- Iterations and Transformations: A Theory of World-Systems Evolution -- Investigations: Cases and Comparisons -- A Very Small World-System -- The Unification of Afroeurasia: Circa 500 B.C.E.-1400 C.E. -- The Europe-Centered System -- Cross-System Comparisons: Similarities and Differences -- Conclusions -- The Transformation of World-Systems -- Conclusions, Questions, Speculations