Theorising the Interregnum:

The Semi-Core Challenge to Western Hegemony, Technical Workers and the Shaping of a 'New World Order'

Authors

  • Stephen Wilkinson University of Buckingham

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2026.1405

Keywords:

Interregnum, Semi-core, Technical Workers, Artificial Intelligence, World Systems Theory, Hegemony

Abstract

This article examines the current geopolitical and economic interregnum through the lens of World-Systems theory, focusing on what Ege Demirel (2024) identifies as the emergence of a “semi-core,” represented most prominently by China and Russia. Drawing on recent philosophical work by Zygmunt Bauman, empirical evidence from China's 'Global Community of Shared Future' white paper and Putin's 2024 Valdai address, alongside theoretical insights from contemporary Chinese Marxism, it argues that the semi-core's challenge to Western hegemony creates unique conditions for systemic transformation.

Particular attention is given to the role of technical workers, whose strategic position at the intersection of competing infrastructural systems and alternative visions of global order makes them potentially crucial actors in determining the outcome of the current interregnum. By examining the philosophical foundations of Chinese Marxism—particularly its dialectical approach rooted in the yin-yang principle—the article reveals that the semi-core challenge represents not merely alternative policies but an alternative epistemology that fundamentally differs from Western either/or logic.

Drawing on research by Muldoon, Graham, and Cant (2024) on the hidden labor supporting AI systems and the geopolitical competition over digital infrastructure, the article demonstrates how technical workers' potential for progressive transformation lies not just in their strategic importance and specialized knowledge but in their ability to build solidarity across the broader ecosystem of AI labor while between otherwise incommensurable philosophical and infrastructural systems.

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Published

2026-04-04

How to Cite

Wilkinson, S. (2026). Theorising the Interregnum: : The Semi-Core Challenge to Western Hegemony, Technical Workers and the Shaping of a ’New World Order’. Journal of World-Systems Research, 32(1), 71–97. https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2026.1405

Issue

Vol. 32 No. 1 (2026): Spring 2026

Section

Research Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Stephen Wilkinson

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