Spatial and Other ?Fixes? of Historical Capitalism

Authors

  • Giovanni Arrighi Johns Hopkins University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2004.289

Abstract

Capitalism is the first and only historical social system that has become truly global in scale and scope. Mapping this transformation over time is a particularly challenging task. Without some theoretical guidance in the selection of the networks to be mapped, there is a real risk of producing maps that are so confusing as to be worthless. Drawing from David Harvey?s concepts of ?spatial-temporal fix,? ?switching crisis,? and ?accumulation bydispossession,? this article proposes a conceptual map focused specifically on the processes associated with the globalization of historical capitalism. This is not an actual map of the spatial-temporal dynamic of historical capitalism but a first step in the identification of the kind of geographic and historical information that is needed in order to produce such a map.

Downloads

Published

2004-08-26

How to Cite

Arrighi, G. (2004). Spatial and Other ?Fixes? of Historical Capitalism. Journal of World-Systems Research, 10(2), 527–539. https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2004.289

Issue

Section

JWSR MINI-SYMPOSIUM: Peter Gowan & The “Capitalist World-Empire”