Unthinking Social Science: Limits of 19th Century Paradigms

Synopsis

In this new edition of a classic work - now with a new preface - on the roots of social scientific thinking, Immanuel Wallerstein develops a thorough-going critique of the legacy of nineteenth-century social science for social thought in the new millennium. We have to unthink - radically revise and discard - many of the presumptions that still remain the foundation of dominant perspectives today. Once considered liberating, these notions are now barriers to a clear understanding of our social world. They include, for example, ideas built into the concept of development.