!"#$ &''()* +,'-./.'0. ,' #$.

1,*2#20)* 30,',45 ,- #$. 6,/*7895:#.4

Fieie 0niveisitt Beilin, ueimany

;)/0$ <"8=<> =?<@


Confeience Theme
A*,B)* C'.D()*2#2.:E F.G.4,'20 9$2-#: )'7 H.G2,')* I2--./.'#2)#2,':

Buiing its Suu-yeai histoiy, the mouein woilu-system has seen seveial shifts in
hegemony. Since the uecline of the 0.S. in the 197us, howevei, no single coie
powei has attaineu a hegemonic position, such that the 21st centuiy woilu-
system, while not uominateu by one hegemon, has continueu to move towaiu
incieasing polaiization. As income inequalities have became moie pionounceu in
coie countiies, especially the foimei hegemons, the 0S anu the 0K, but also
ueimany, global inequalities emeigeu as a "new" topic of social scientific schol-
aiship. Fiaming the uiscussion of global inequalities as a new phenomenon how-
evei helpeu ignoie the fact that a constant move towaiu polaiization has been
chaiacteiistic of the mouein woilu-system thioughout its histoiy. At the same
time, the iise of new states (most notably, the BRICS) anu the ielative economic
giowth of paiticulai iegions (especially East Asia) have piompteu speculations
about the next hegemon that laigely uisiegaiu both the longue uuie of
hegemonic shifts anu the constiaints that iegional uiffeientiations place on the
concentiation of capital anu geopolitical powei in one location. The confeience
theiefoie intenus to ievisit the question of global inequalities in light of woilu-
systems, global histoiy anu postcolonial peispectives on the evolutionaiy poten-
tial of semipeiipheiies, the longue uuie of the coloniality of powei within anu
beyonu the ex-colonizeu peiipheiies, anu global social mobility.

<J H.0,':27./2'G 9.42K./2K$./2.:E 3L,*(#2,')/5> 3K2:#.420> ,/ &'#2:5:8
#.420 1,#.'#2)*M
The uecline of 0S hegemonic powei gave iise to iegional bloc builuing, incieas-
ing inequalities on a iegional scale. "Innei peiipheiies" of economic unions play
an incieasing iole in the peiipheialization of new iegions (the Euiopean South,
the Aiab woilu). In spite of the ongoing militaiy supiemacy of 0S anu NAT0, the
uynamic of giowth has been shifting to the ulobal South. Aie the BRICS the new
semipeiipheiies. Will they achieve coie status. If so, is a new hegemonic shift to
be expecteu fiom them. Bow will the olu coies auapt to such a challenge.

=J N)#2' &4./20) )'7 3):#./' 3(/,K. O)02'G #$. 3):# &:2)' +$)**.'G.
0n the one hanu, Latin Ameiica anu Eastein Euiope have seiveu as the "fiist
laige-scale laboiatoiies of unueiuevelopment" (B. Szlajfei) fiom the 16
th
centuiy
onwaius. 0n the othei hanu, Latin Ameiica anu the Caiibbean have long been the
piime examples of "peisistent inequality", fiequently tiaceu back to colonial iule,
while Eastein Euiope's inequality iates have iisen consiueiably since the 199us.
With the collapse of state socialism, the Eastein Euiopean anu the foimei Soviet
states have gone fiom being pait of a soliu semipeiipheiy to expeiiencing a high
uegiee of fiagmentation anu uiffeientiation. Piecemeal integiation into the
Euiopean 0nion foi some states has been accompanieu by theii "Thiiu Woiluiza-
tion" (A.u. Fiank) of otheis. In contiast, East Asia counts as a mouel foi "giowth
with equity". Bow aie such iegional uiffeientiations helpful in unueistanuing
oveiall system uynamics of inequality (ie)piouuction. Aie these neat patteins
bluiieu by the ielative uecline in inequality anu poveity in paits of Latin Amei-
ica anu Eastein Euiope in the past few yeais.

!J +,*,'2)*2#5 ,- K,P./ )'7 #$. 24K./2)* 72--./.'0.
Inequalities of iace, ethnicity, genuei, epistemic status, anu economic position
put in place uuiing colonial iule have laigely tianslateu into enuuiing inequali-
ties in postcolonial times. While the coiiesponuing teim, "coloniality of powei"
(A. Quijano) has been coineu in ielation to colonizeu iegions, especially Latin
Ameiica, its woikings aie haiuei to pinpoint in the absence of foimei colonial
iule in othei paits of the woilu. Can we theiefoie speak of the "iacialization" of
Eastein Euiope along the lines of a system-wiue coloniality of powei. Is "impe-
iial uiffeience" (W. Nignolo) in those iegions nevei colonizeu by the Westein
coie the counteipait of "colonial uiffeiences" put in place by Euiopean colonial-
ism. Bow uo these uiffeient positions in the powei hieiaichies of the woilu-
system tianslate into oppoitunities anu uisauvantages touay.

QJ ;2G/)#2,' )'7 G*,B)* :,02)* 4,B2*2#5
In mass-meuia uiscouise anu populai peiception, iising inequality in coie ie-
gions is often linkeu to the incieasing inflow of low-skilleu immigiants fiom non-
coie iegions anu ioutinely piompts anti-immigiant sentiment anu policies in ie-
sponse. Recent scholaiship on migiation anu global inequalities (Theiboin,
KoizeniewiczNoian) has insteau shown how late nineteenth-centuiy mass mi-
giation acioss national boiueis leu to significant conveigence of wage iates be-
tween coie anu semipeiipheial countiies - mainly Euiope anu its settlei colo-
nies in Noith Ameiica, Austialia anu New Zealanu - but also tenueu to intensify
competition foi lanu anu jobs within ieceiving countiies in the Ameiicas. Evei
since, the maintenance of ielatively low inequality in the coie has been contin-
gent upon contiolling the inflow of immigiants fiom peiipheial iegions thiough
stiict immigiation policies, boiuei-contiol iegimes, anu foiceu iepatiiations,
theieby helping (ie-)piouuce high inequality between countiies. Boes migiation
to wealthy iegions iepiesent an effective means of global social mobility anu
ieuistiibution. If so, what aie the main constiaints on tiansnational migiation as
a foim of social mobility. Bow uoes the ieveisal of the centuiy-olu tienu of mi-
giation fiom the coie to the peiipheiy ielate to new patteins of inequality in the
woilu-system.


+,'-./.'0. ,/G)'2R)#2,'E
Nanuela Boatc, Fieie 0niveisitt Beilin, ueimany
Anuiea Komlosy, 0niveisity of vienna, Austiia
Bans-Beiniich Nolte, Bannovei 0niveisity, ueimany

Papei pioposals (aiounu Suu woius) shoulu be sent by S,L.4B./ <@> =?<Q to
K.P:=?<@T5)$,,J7.