Autocracy, Democracy and EcoSocialism in the Geosphere
Caravanserai Autocracy, Democracy and EcoSocialism in the Geosphere Christopher Chase-Dunn April 1, 2026 Thanks to Editors Devparna Roy and Dan Pasciuti for inviting me to kick off a new JWSR events commentary series – the Caravanserai. The most common definition of caravanserai is “an inn where travelers stay”, but an alternative meaning is “a group traveling together” --a caravan. I prefer the second because my comments are intended for those scholars and activists who are journeying together on a wide road to study and analyze world-systems and to alter the future of the contemporary global system in a more progressive direction. The event that I want to foreground happened on January 1, 2025, when democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the Mayor of New York City. It is hard to step back from current events in the middle of a chaotic time of troubles (polycrises) like the one we are in. But, as Fernand Braudel said: “ Events are the ephemera of his...