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Unequal Development: An Essay on the Social Formations of Peripheral Capitalism
Book by Amin, Samir
440 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
14 people are currently reading
1156 people want to read
About the author
Samir Amin
248Ìýbooks306ÌýfollowersThe Arabic profile: سمير أمين
Samir Amin (Arabic: سمير أمين) (3 September 1931 � 12 August 2018) was an Egyptian-French Marxian economist, political scientist and world-systems analyst. He is noted for his introduction of the term Eurocentrism in 1988 and considered a pioneer of Dependency Theory.
Samir Amin (Arabic: سمير أمين) (3 September 1931 � 12 August 2018) was an Egyptian-French Marxian economist, political scientist and world-systems analyst. He is noted for his introduction of the term Eurocentrism in 1988 and considered a pioneer of Dependency Theory.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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November 7, 2012very amazing
November 27, 2024
Interesting overall but man there was a lot I straight up couldn’t follow. It’s a more compressed version of Accumulation on a World Scale (which is two volumes, both of which are longer than this) so it can feel a little like it’s trying to do too many things at once but it’s definitely worth hearing his perspective.
January 23, 2024
Samir Amin's magnum opus. Amin's categories of 'social formation' and 'peripheral capitalism' as a different experience of capitalism rather than capitalism in the center are important pieces. This is essentially Accumulation on a World Scale, Amin's first monograph, just MUCH clearer. Start here with Amin. His analysis is still relevant (although parts can be updated, e.g. the schema of peripheral capitalism could be updated to include the phenomena of urban slums). If you find world-systems theory, dependency theory, or any sort of analysis that is interested in accumulation on a world scale, you need to read this book as it's stood the proverbial test of time. My recommendation is to stick with it. The later chapters become more historiographical and easier to track with; although the earlier chapters are required to make these later arguments salient.
On Social Formation (which is a unit of analysis that Amin offers for global historical materialism): “The societies known to history are “formations� that on the one hand combine modes of production and on the other organize relations between the local society and other societies, expressed in the existence of long-distance trade relations. Social formations are thus concrete, organized structures that are marked by a dominant mode of production and the articulation around this of a complex group of modes of production that are subordinate to it�. (16)
Nice application of world-systems/dependency theory
"The economic system of the periphery cannot be understood in itself, its relations with the center are crucial; similarly, the social structure of the periphery is a truncated structure that can only be understood when it is situated as an element in a world social structure.� (294)
Topography of peripheral capitalism.
“Despite their different origins, the peripheral formations tend to converge toward a pattern that is essentially the same. The phenomenon reflects, on the world scale, the increasing power of capitalism to unify. All peripheral formations have four main characteristics in common: (1) the predominance of agrarian capitalism in the national sector; (2) the creation of a local, manly merchant, bourgeoisie in the wake of dominant foreign capital; (3) a tendency toward a peculiar bureaucratic development, specific to the contemporary periphery; and (4) the incomplete, specific character of the phenomena of proletarianization." (333)
On Social Formation (which is a unit of analysis that Amin offers for global historical materialism): “The societies known to history are “formations� that on the one hand combine modes of production and on the other organize relations between the local society and other societies, expressed in the existence of long-distance trade relations. Social formations are thus concrete, organized structures that are marked by a dominant mode of production and the articulation around this of a complex group of modes of production that are subordinate to it�. (16)
Nice application of world-systems/dependency theory
"The economic system of the periphery cannot be understood in itself, its relations with the center are crucial; similarly, the social structure of the periphery is a truncated structure that can only be understood when it is situated as an element in a world social structure.� (294)
Topography of peripheral capitalism.
“Despite their different origins, the peripheral formations tend to converge toward a pattern that is essentially the same. The phenomenon reflects, on the world scale, the increasing power of capitalism to unify. All peripheral formations have four main characteristics in common: (1) the predominance of agrarian capitalism in the national sector; (2) the creation of a local, manly merchant, bourgeoisie in the wake of dominant foreign capital; (3) a tendency toward a peculiar bureaucratic development, specific to the contemporary periphery; and (4) the incomplete, specific character of the phenomena of proletarianization." (333)
May 14, 2024
Dense, analytical text on the interaction of pre-capitalist societies with the advance of capitalism in different parts of the world
Particularly insightful was the author's expanded treatment of pre-capitalist societies beyond the simple dichotomy of feudalism and capitalism, and how capitalism led to the marginalisation and impoverishment of the majority of these pre-capitalist societies
Particularly insightful was the author's expanded treatment of pre-capitalist societies beyond the simple dichotomy of feudalism and capitalism, and how capitalism led to the marginalisation and impoverishment of the majority of these pre-capitalist societies
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February 24, 2016Read
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December 7, 2016i have not read any of mr.Samir's wrks
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