This book explores the closely related dynamics of globalization, hegemony and resistance movements in the modern world. Complemented by dramatic explorations of the new trans-border resistance movements, from the contemporary labor movement to the resurgence of nationalism, this book moves beyond the traditional focus on cycles of rise and decline of great powers to assess the pressing questions at the intersection of contemporary globalizations and hegemonic rise, decline and resurgence of civilizations. Moreover, the book provides a compelling analysis of the role of contemporary globalization in the resurgence of Islamic activism across the globe and the challenges this poses for traditional theories of modernity and global social movements.

Introduction, Thomas Ehrlich Reifer; Part I Contemporary Globalization; Chapter 1 The United States in Decline?, Immanuel Wallerstein; Chapter 2 The Phoenix Cycle: Global Leadership Transition in a Long-Wave Perspective, Joachim Karl Rennstich; Chapter 3 From State Hegemonies to Transnational Hegemony: A Global Capitalism Approach, William I. Robinson; Chapter 4 Quantifying Hegemony in the World Economy, Jeffrey Kentor; Chapter 5 Servants of the World System: An Analysis of Servitude in the United States and the New International Division of Reproductive Labor, Amy Holmes; Chapter 6 Globalization: The New Mechanism of Dependency, Kathleen C. Schwartzman; Chapter 7 The Sweatshop Dynamic: U.S. Shipper Hegemony in the Global Logistics Sector of Los Angeles, Edna Bonacich; Part II Counterhegemonic Social Movements; Chapter 8 Hegemonic Decline and Revolution: When the World is Up for Grabs, Terry Boswell; Chapter 9 The Politics of Global Islam: U.S. Hegemony, Globalization, and Islamist Social Movements, Paul M. Lubeck, Thomas Ehrlich Reifer; Chapter 10 Hegemony Lost: Understanding Islamic Fundamentalism, Lauren Langman;