South China Silk District

Alvin Y. So is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

• List of Tables and Figures Acknowledgements One World-System Perspective and Local Studies Two The South China Silk District Three Precapitalist Social Formations Four Incorporation Five Commercialization of Agriculture Six Industrialization Seven Proletarianization Eight Cyclical Development Nine Conclusion References Endnotes Appendix: Weights and Currency Conversions Index

"This is an important book on a subject of significance both to sociologists and sinologists. It is based on a rare combination of serious theoretical and empirical (including primary) research. It is the first serious attempt to explore the strengths and limits of world system theory in a Chinese context, the first that is to do so through a serious empirical study." — Mark Selden