On the Silk Road with Giovanni Arrighi
(2021) SIMV10 20211Graduate School
Master of Science in Global Studies
- Abstract
- This thesis explores contradictions, inadequacies, and competing formulations within Giovanni Arrighi’s theory of systemic cycles of accumulation (SCAs) as a Kuhnian scientific paradigm. This has been carried out through a comparative study on how the theory has been applied by scholars on the issue of the prospective hegemonic rise of China in the contemporary setting. The study finds that there are theoretical issues with the theory’s Braudelian distinction between capitalism and markets and assumptions on the state. These issues are interrelated to Arrighi’s view of China as a decisively non-capitalist market society where the concepts within SCAs are not fully applicable. Consequently, there is ambivalence as to how the theory could be... (More)
- This thesis explores contradictions, inadequacies, and competing formulations within Giovanni Arrighi’s theory of systemic cycles of accumulation (SCAs) as a Kuhnian scientific paradigm. This has been carried out through a comparative study on how the theory has been applied by scholars on the issue of the prospective hegemonic rise of China in the contemporary setting. The study finds that there are theoretical issues with the theory’s Braudelian distinction between capitalism and markets and assumptions on the state. These issues are interrelated to Arrighi’s view of China as a decisively non-capitalist market society where the concepts within SCAs are not fully applicable. Consequently, there is ambivalence as to how the theory could be applied to China. This creates a theoretical impasse for future theorising on China. While there are several research strategies for dealing with this impasse, failure to solve this dilemma points towards anomalies in the theory which eventually could lead to the crisis of SCAs as a paradigm for studying China and hegemonic transitions. (Less)
- Popular Abstract
- This thesis explores the currently ongoing emergence of China as an economic and political superpower and whether the country could possibly come to replace the US in its role as an international leader that sets the agenda for international political and economic cooperation. This is done by studying how Giovanni Arrighi’s theory of systemic cycles of accumulation (SCAs) has been applied by researchers to study how and why China has been able to attain greater influence internationally. This theory argues that the history of capitalism can be understood as a series of cycles where a leading state has been able to generalise a particular way of accumulating capital that other states must follow. In each cycle the leading state (or... (More)
- This thesis explores the currently ongoing emergence of China as an economic and political superpower and whether the country could possibly come to replace the US in its role as an international leader that sets the agenda for international political and economic cooperation. This is done by studying how Giovanni Arrighi’s theory of systemic cycles of accumulation (SCAs) has been applied by researchers to study how and why China has been able to attain greater influence internationally. This theory argues that the history of capitalism can be understood as a series of cycles where a leading state has been able to generalise a particular way of accumulating capital that other states must follow. In each cycle the leading state (or hegemon,) has at first gained its advantage over other states by means of trade and production. Eventually, the leading state has switched to primarily making profit through financial investments. At the end of each cycle, there has been a crisis in profitability of finance and a new hegemonic state has instead emerged by introducing a new period of accumulation through trade and production. Scholars using SCAs theorise that we are living in the late phase of an US-led hegemony and that China could possibly come to inherit its position.
The study finds that there is a problem in applying the theory to China because the concepts used to explain how transitions between hegemonies occur only apply to capitalism, which according to the theory is something different than a market economy, and among other things only exists in societies where the capitalist class controls the state. Scholars have diverging opinions on whether China is capitalist in this sense. The possible solutions to this problem are taking an agnostic stance to whether China is capitalist, routing around the issue by finding new particular explanations for China, treating China as capitalist according to the definition of the theory, or disputing the assumptions in the theory that makes it difficult to apply the concepts to China. To gain a better understanding of the issues within the theory, the study relates these findings to Thomas Kuhn’s theory of paradigm shifts that basically argues that some theories constitute paradigms, or general assumptions that researchers build upon and solve problems within. In Kuhn’s terms the issues with studying China through SCAs could generate anomalies that the theory fails to explain, and which leads to incremental modifications, possibly leading to a crisis within the theory and to SCAs being rejected as a model for theorising the hegemonic rise of China. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9062728
- author
- Frohlund, Simon LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- A conceptual study on systemic cycles of accumulation and the rise of China
- course
- SIMV10 20211
- year
- 2021
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- World-systems analysis, Systemic cycles of accumulation, Hegemonic transitions, China, Scientific paradigms
- language
- English
- id
- 9062728
- date added to LUP
- 2021-08-18 15:25:16
- date last changed
- 2021-08-18 15:25:16
@misc{9062728,
abstract = {{This thesis explores contradictions, inadequacies, and competing formulations within Giovanni Arrighi’s theory of systemic cycles of accumulation (SCAs) as a Kuhnian scientific paradigm. This has been carried out through a comparative study on how the theory has been applied by scholars on the issue of the prospective hegemonic rise of China in the contemporary setting. The study finds that there are theoretical issues with the theory’s Braudelian distinction between capitalism and markets and assumptions on the state. These issues are interrelated to Arrighi’s view of China as a decisively non-capitalist market society where the concepts within SCAs are not fully applicable. Consequently, there is ambivalence as to how the theory could be applied to China. This creates a theoretical impasse for future theorising on China. While there are several research strategies for dealing with this impasse, failure to solve this dilemma points towards anomalies in the theory which eventually could lead to the crisis of SCAs as a paradigm for studying China and hegemonic transitions.}},
author = {{Frohlund, Simon}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{On the Silk Road with Giovanni Arrighi}},
year = {{2021}},
}