A
world-system is a
socioeconomic system that encompasses part or all of the globe. World-systems are usually larger than single countries (nations), but do not have to be global. Several world-systems can coexist, provided that they have little or no interaction with one another. Where such interactions becomes significant, separate world-systems merge into a new, larger world-system. Through the process of
globalization, the modern world has reached the state of one dominant world-system, but in human history there have been periods where separate world-systems existed simultaneously, according to
Janet Abu-Lughod. The most well-known version of the world-system approach has been developed by
Immanuel Wallerstein. A world-system is a crucial element of the
world-system theory, a multidisciplinary, macro-scale approach to
world history and
social change.