The goal with this thesis is to analyze the expansion of Brazilian soybean cultiva-tion since 2000, through a World Systems Analysis perspective. The exploratory objective is concerned with how the soy expansion relates to the notion of periph-ery, as this has been conceptualized through the theoretical construct of periphery conditions by Terrence Hopkins and Immanuel Wallerstein (1982). The paper relies upon a triangulation of methods, combining secondary literature, expert interviews and statistical analysis. An analysis of global demand increase and the developments within the regulatory framework for soy production is con-ducted, in order to understand how this has affected expansion of soy cultivation. A commodity chain analysis of the Brazilian soy commodity chain is performed, in order to trace indicators pertaining to the notion of periphery conditions within a range of social, economic and environmental dimensions, affected by the process of soy expansion. The examination of the expansionary process indicates that this has been markedly associated with the emergence of periphery conditions in the Brazilian soy frontier regions, and that the soy sector´s political leverage has increased proportionately with its economic significance
