Definition of Peripheral Nations
(noun) In world systems theory, poor nations that have limited industrialization and uneven distribution of urbanization, that are exploited by core nations and semi-peripheral nations for their raw materials and inexpensive labor.
Examples of Peripheral Nations
Note: Based on research by Babones (2005).
Peripheral Nations Pronunciation
Syllabification: pe·riph·er·al na·tions
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /puhr-rIf-uhr-ruhl nAY-shuhnz/
- British English – /puh-rIf-uh-ruhl nAY-shuhnz/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /pəˈrɪfərəl ˈneɪʃənz/
- British English – /pəˈrɪfərəl ˈneɪʃənz/
Usage Notes
- Singular: peripheral nation
- Immanuel Wallerstein (born 1930), a key theorist in world-systems theory developed the typology of core nations, semi-peripheral nations, and peripheral nations.
- Peripheral nations are economically poor and primarily agricultural, the exploitation from core nations and semi-peripheral nations limits development and thus perpetuates their poverty.
- Also called: “the periphery“
Additional Information
- World-systems Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “peripheral” and “nations” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
- capitalism
- core nations
- dependency theory
- economic
- global perspective
- globalization
- poverty
- power
- semi-peripheral nations
- world-systems theory
Reference
Babones, Salvatore J. 2005. “The Country-level Income Structure of the World-economy.” Journal of World-Systems Research 11(1):29–55. doi:10.5195/jwsr.2005.392.
Works Consulted
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Henslin, James M. 2012. Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. 10th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Kendall, Diana. 2011. Sociology in Our Times. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
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Macionis, John, and Kenneth Plummer. 2012. Sociology: A Global Introduction. 4th ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.
OpenStax College. 2014. Introduction to Sociology.
Stolley, Kathy S. 2005. The Basics of Sociology. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. 2012. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Cite the Definition of Peripheral Nations
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “peripheral nations.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved September 29, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/peripheral-nations/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
peripheral nations. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/peripheral-nations/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “peripheral nations.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed September 29, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/peripheral-nations/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“peripheral nations.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 29 Sep. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/peripheral-nations/>.