Macro-Perspectives beyond the World System

This paper continues a train of thought begun in an earlier paper (Voros 2006) where an approach to macro-social analysis based on the idea of "nesting" social-analytical perspectives was described and demonstrated (the essence of which, for convenience, is briefly summarised here). In that paper, essential use was made of a typology of social-analytical perspectives proposed by Johan Galtung (1997b), who suggested that human systems could be viewed or studied at three main levels of analysis: the level of the individual person; the level of social systems; and the level of world systems. Distinctions can be made between different foci of study. The focus may be on the stages and causes of change through time (termed diachronic), or it could be at some specific point in time (termed synchronic). As well, the focus may be on a specific single case (termed idiographic), in contrast to seeking regularities, patterns, or generalised "laws" (termed nomothetic). In this way, there are four main types of perspectives found at any particular level of analysis. This conception is shown here in slightly adapted form in Table 1.