Samir Amin's contribution to historical materialism

SUMMARY

Samir Amin's contributions to historical materialism were original theoretical innovations that represented a clear break with Eurocentrism in this tradition. They include both the concept of tributary social formations and a truly global perspective on the development of human society. This debate piece argues that Amin's contributions deserve much more attention and appreciation than they have received.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Note on contributor

Morten Ougaard is a political scientist and Professor of International Political Economy at Copenhagen Business School. His main research interests are global governance, business and global governance, and historical materialism, especially state theory.