UNDERSTANDING OF ‘ARAB SPRING’ FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF IMMANUEL WALLERSTEIN AS A REVOLUTIONARY SITUATION

Immanuel wallerstein, the theorist of world system analysis, tried to explain the process by using the historical sociology and political economy perspective. referring to the various protests movement across the world along with the ‘arab spring’ process, he argued that all demonstrate the crisis of capitalist economic system, the continuation of the 1968 revolution and the signs of the transition to new system. this article explores wallerstein’s arguments about the reasons, process and the results of the revolutions in general as well as his arguments about the “arab spring” in particular. his arguments enable researchers to reconsider ‘middle east exceptionality’ as he relates to the process with the world system. this study aims at both understanding of the “arab spring” at the theoretical level and contributing to extensive literature on revolutions, authoritarianism, and democratization.