ProtoSociology

Volume 20, 2004

World-System Analysis: Contemporary Research and Directions

Richard E. Lee
Pages 71-84

A Note on Method with an Example – The “War on Terror”

Much has been made of the centrality of comparison to sociological research. The world-systems perspective, however, posits a single unit of analysis that challenges the possibility of designating the independent cases demanded by the formal logic of comparative analysis. The present work suggests an alternative to comparisons of multiple cases in the form of analogies among instances of processes. The consequences of such a methodological shift are explored through the example of the contemporary “War on Terror”.