Since 1898, the former communist countries of Eastern Europe have gained international prominence. The continuing socio-economic transition and the instability evident in areas like the Caucasus and Former Yugoslavia have drawn the western world into uneasy interactions with the region. At the same time, closer commercial and cultural contacts are providing opportunities for rewarding relationships which have now resulted in many of these countries joining the EU.This book provides detailed coverage of the transition from communism to a market economy. Covering the whole range of East Central European and former Soviet Union countries, it charts the diversity within the region, offering in-depth coverage of specific areas as well as a broad view of development across the region. The book is organised into three comprehensive sections: the historical, socio-economic and environmental. The socio-economic section considers the critical issues of restructuring to effect the transition from central planning to a market economy, while the historical material provides an essential context for the constraints and opportunities affecting the region. The environmental section places emphasis on results of environmental neglect inherited from communism as well as looking to the future implications of EU directives on the problems of biodiversity and pollution in the region.

It has seemed at times that there is no neutral territory between those who see Bakhtin as the practitioner of a kind of neo-Marxist, or at least materialist, deconstruction and those who look at the same texts and see a defender of traditional, liberal humanist values and classical conceptions of order, a conservative in the true sense of the term. Arising from a conference under the same title held at Texas Tech University, Carnivalizing Difference seeks to explore the actual and possible relationships between Bakhtinian theory and cultural practice. The introduction explores the changing configurations of our understanding of Bakhtin's work in the context of recent theory and outlines how that understanding can inform, and be informed by, culture both ancient and modern. Eleven articles, spanning a wide range of periods and cultural forms, then address these issues in detail, revealing the ways in which Bakhtinian thought illuminates, sometimes obfuscates, but always challenges.

Winner of the 2016 Julian Minghi Distinguished Book Award of the Political Geography Specialty Group at the AAG Providing important insights into political geography, the politics of peace, and South Asian studies, this book explores everyday peace in northern India as it is experienced by the Hindu-Muslim community. * Challenges normative understandings of Hindu-Muslim relations as relentlessly violent and the notion of peace as a romantic endpoint occurring only after violence and political maneuverings * Examines the ways in which geographical concepts such as space, place, and scale can inform and problematize understandings of peace * Redefines the politics of peace, as well as concepts of citizenship, agency, secular politics, and democracy * Based on over 14 months of qualitative and archival research in the city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, India

This is a key text on the very topical themes of power, defence and space. Landscapes of Defence is an exciting collection of theoretical and empirical material from very well known contributors, desiged to help students understand how landscapes of defence fit in with some of the broader concepts of space, power and place to which they are introduced in the 1st year. The book is split into four sections, and each section contains an introduction placing the subsequent chapters in context. There is also a comprehensive introduction and afterword to tie the book's broad themes together. 2nd and 3rd year undergraduates in urban and cultural geography will be the key market for this title, as well as strong secondary market in departments of Sociology, Anthropology, Law and Planning.

Since the first edition was published in 1994 as "The Atlas of Apartheid", there has been enormous change in South Africa. Gradually apartheid is being dismantled but in many sectors the effects have not yet been reversed. In this revised edition, A.J. Christopher examines the spatial impact of apartheid during the period of National Government from 1948 to 1994, and the legacy it has left for South Africa at the beginning of the 21st century. Apartheid was about the control of space and specific places. Intent upon maintaining white minority rule, despite local and international resistance, the government thought in terms of drawing lines on maps and on the ground to separate the South African peoples into discrete, legally defined groups in a classic example of divide-and-rule. Segregation operated at many levels and on many scales, from "petty apartheid" exemplified by separate entrances to buildings and residential areas to "grand apartheid" involving separate nation-states.; It is remarkable that those structures associated with petty and grand apartheid have been dismantled very rapidly, but those associated with the ownership and occupation of land have been extremely persist

As the world undergoes rapid technological and economic change, so too the role and functions of the State are being challenged. There are those who argue that that the nation state has come to an end and that we are entering a new phase in the territorial ordering of the world system. Others hold that boundaries have disappeared and that a globalized world has no need or use for artificial, man-made, territorial barriers.
The contributions here seek to determine the extent to which states and boundaries have, in fact, disappeared, or are simply changing their functions as we move from an era of fixed territories into a post-Westphalian territorial system. A group of international political geographers and political scientists examine the changing nature of the state, pointing to significant changes on the one hand, but equally noting the continued importance of territory and boundaries in determining the political ordering of the post-modern world.

The collapse of the Soviet Union has engendered one of the most momentous and critical regional transformations of our times through formation and development of the post-Soviet states. This book explores the politics of post-Soviet transition and the problems which will continue to face these states in the twenty-first century as they struggle toward democracy, market reform, ethnic co-existence and integration into a new geopolitical post-Cold War world order.
Richly illustrated with examples drawn from Russian and other post-Soviet primary sources, the book focuses upon three broad themes of transition: first, the progression from colonialism to post-colonialism and the consequences of such changes on national identity and the redefinition of national homeland; second, the movement away from totalitarian rule and the processes that both facilitate and challenge the prospects of a democratic future; third, the process of securing a successful place in the global capitalist economy.
New theoretical ways are introduced to map out these themes, providing a framework from which to understand the geopolitical, economic and social processes that are likely to shape this transition into the twenty-first century.

Recent controversies over the political and environmental management of the Antarctic ensure that it will remain an important global issue. Drawing on recent developments in critical geopolitics and cultural geography, Klaus Dodds examines the six major nations of the Southern hemisphere currently involved in the Antarctic. Each of these nations - Argentina, Australia, Chile, India, New Zealand and South Africa - claims a ‘natural’ interest in the future of the polar continent. Geopolitics in Antarctica presents a detailed exploration of the rhetoric and politics behind each of these claims, arguing that they are often based on uncritical understandings of territory, geographical proximity and national identity. The book concludes with an examination of how geographical understandings of the Antarctic continue to influence the management of the frozen continent and Southern Ocean.

First published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

In its most precise definition, a " dead country" is a place that once issued postage stamps but no longer does. Harding has used this definition as a basis for a fascinating investigation of world history. Collected in Dead Countries of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries is a telling portrait of global change. The book is organized as a series of entries for each dead country, arranged alphabetically under fifteen broad geographical headings. These short entries provide wonderfully detailed summaries of the history of the dead countries that fill in gaps and expose the hidden histories of many geographic locations throughout the world. The entries not only detail the creation and makeup of the dead country, but most importantly, describe the significant historical factors that caused its disappearance. Countries that have fractured politically or been absorbed into larger conglomerations are also included as dead countries. Each entry begins with a literary epigraph that offers a fresh way of thinking about the area in question. Also included is essential reference information such as area (in both square miles and square kilometers), capital city, estimated population, and an illustration of the region's postage stamp that provides a visual reference of the culture. Included at the end of each entry is a list of references that contain additional sources of information.

Seeking Justice in an Energy Sacrifice Zone is an ethnography of the lived experience of rapid environmental change in coastal Louisiana, USA. Writing from a political ecology perspective, Maldonado explores the effects of changes to localized climate and ecology on the Isle de Jean Charles, Grand Caillou/Dulac, and Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribes. Focusing in particular on wide-ranging displacement effects, she argues that changes to climate and ecology should not be viewed in isolation as only physical processes but as part of wider socio-political and historical contexts. The book is valuable reading for students and scholars in the fields of anthropology, sociology, geography, environmental studies and disaster studies as well as public policy and planning.

Cold war geopolitics may be dead, but struggles over space and power are more important than ever in a world of globalizing economies and instantaneous information. Using insights from contemporary cultural theory, the contributors address questions of political identity and popular culture, state violence and genocide, speed machines and militarism, gender and resistance, cyberwar and mass media - connecting each question to a generalized re-thinking of the spaces of politics at the global scale. This book argues that the concept of geopolitics needs to be reconceptualized as the 21st century approaches. Challenging conventional geopolitical assumptions, the diverse chapters include analyses of: theories of post-modern geopolitics, historical formulations of states and cold wars, the geopolitics of the Holocaust, the gendered dimension of Kurdish insurgency, the cold war world, political cartoons concerning Bosnia, Time magazine representations of the Persian Gulf, the Zapatistas and the Chiapas revolt, the new cyber politics, conflict simulations in the US military, and the emergence of a new geopolitics of global security.

Rethinking Geopolitics argues that the concept of geopolitics needs to be conceptualised anew as the twenty-first century approaches.
Challenging conventional geopolitical assumptions, contributors explore:
* theories of post-modern geopolitics
* historical formulations of states and cold wars
* the geopolitics of the Holocaust
* the gendered dimension of Kurdish insurgency
* the cold war world
* political cartoons concerning Bosnia
* Time magazine representations of the Persian Gulf
* the Zapatistas and the Chiapas revolt
* the new cyber politics
* conflict simulations in the US military
* the emergence of a new geopolitics of global security.
Exploring how popular cultural assumptions about geography and politics constitute the discourses of contemporary violence and political economy, Rethinking Geopolitics shows that we must rethink the struggle for knowledge, space and power.

Provides a comprehensive and in-depth examination of the ongoing process of development and societal transformation in a dynamic region of the Third World. Written by a team of specialists from the fields of development studies, sociology and political economy, the book looks at some of the fundamental problems facing South East Asia by addressing the following issues: the social constellations; class, culture and political legitimation; and industrialisation and labour regulation.

Can the European Union continue to grow and also converge? Is uniformity within the union desirable? This text provides a comprehensive introduction to the European Union, its identity, problems and prospects. Focusing on the issues of integration and enlargement, the authors examine the major economic, social, environmental and political aspects of the EU, both in terms of its individual regions and as a system of interdependent states that form the single EU entity. Assessment of controversial issues is frank: problems of unemployment, social stress, ageing and the place of women are covered objectively, prompting readers to form their own interpretations. This completely revised and expanded 2nd edition includes new illustrations, data and analysis and coverage of new members Austria, Finland and Sweden.

Can the European Union continue to grow and also converge? Is uniformity within the union desirable? The European Union has grown into a supranational entity formed from a mosaic of diverse regions. Its enlargement to encompass a number of Central European countries seems only a matter of time. With the EU's political and economic importance growing globally, the Union's influence is increasingly being felt within its member states. A geography is emerging with pressures to reduce regional disparities by a process of convergence. This volume provides a comprehensive introduction to the European Union, its identity, problems and prospects. Focusing on the key issues of integration and enlargement, the authors examine the major economic, social, environmental and political aspects of the EU, both in terms of its individual regions and as a system of interdependent states that form the single EU entity. Assessment of controversial issues is frank: problems of unemployment, social stress, ageing and the place of women are covered, prompting readers to form their own interpretations.

The ongoing Irish peace process has renewed interest in the current social and political problems of Northern Ireland. In bringing together the issues of gender and inequality, "Women Divided," a title in the "International Studies of Women and Place" series, offers new perspectives on women's rights and contemporary political issues.
"Women Divided" argues that religious and political sectarianism in Northern Ireland has subordinated women. A historical review is followed by an analysis of the contemporary scene-- state, market (particularly employment patterns), family and church--and the role of women's movements. The book concludes with an in-depth critique of the current peace process and its implications for women's rights in Northern Ireland, arguing that women's rights must be a central element in any agenda for peace and reconciliation.

The nation-states and peoples of South and Central America, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, that together form the political geographical region of Latin America, encompass a wide range of societies, politics and economies. This text exposes the differences between places, regions and countries, individuals and societies, offering an invaluable insight into the themes of political and economic development, and provides a guide to understanding power and space relations. From the Antarctic to the tropical jungles, the coastal communities to the highland villages, the mega-cities to isolated rural existence, the political geographies of lives, localities, cities and rurality are too sophisticated to be subjected to generalizations. Adopting a critical human geography perspective, Jonathon Barton provides an understanding of similarities, difference and sophisticated human geographies.

Latin America is a continent of diversity. The nation-states and peoples of South and Central America, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, that together form the political geographical region of Latin America, encompass a wide range of societies, politics and economies.
A Political Geography of Latin America exposes these differences between places, regions and countries, individuals and societies, offering an invaluable insight into the themes of political and economic development, and an accessible guide to understanding power and space relations. From the Antarctic to the tropical jungles, the coastal communities to the highland villages, the mega-cities to isolated rural existence, the political geographies of lives, localities, cities and rurality are too sophisticated to be subjected to generalizations. Adopting a critical human geography perspective, Jonathan Barton enables a clearer understanding of similarities, difference and sophisticated human geographies. From its starting point of difference, this book explains how it is possible to overcome the stereotyping and generalizations about the content: of dictatorship and terrorism, 'banana republics', shanty town poverty and the Latin character.
Exploring Southern power-space relationships, the author also examines wider processes of globalization that are linking spaces and transgressing boundaries. Barton stresses the need for inclusionary political geography across hemispheres, nation-states, regions, races and ethnic groups, gender and sexuality, and for recognition that it is citizens who wield the power and shape the nation-states that shape them.

From the Third Reich to Bosnia, nationalism - a sense of a nation's place in the world - has been responsible for much bloodshed. Nationalism may be manipulated by political leaders or governments but it springs from the people. Something in the history and environment of a national group creates it. This volume aims to locate and analyze the myth of national identity and its value in creating pride, deflecting fear or legitimating aggression. A range of essays - on Britain, the United States, Germany, Russia, Iraq, Serbia, Argentina, Australia, and India - illustrate the different manifestations of the geographical imagination across the countries of the world.

Critical Geopolitics presents a brilliant and radical analysis of the ideas which have driven nations to attempt to remap the globe in their own image. The essays - ranging across Britsh colonialism to Nazi geopolitics, from America's ambitions to the bloodshed of Bosnia and Ireland - unearth a new political history of the struggle for space and power in the West, and revise the geographies of global politics at the end of the twentieth century.

This book provides a detailed analysis of the legal framework in which the energy trade between the European Union and the Russian Federation has been conducted. Using case studies of eight member states, it critically examines the EU's ability and the duty of its Member States to conduct their external energy trade in accordance with the principle of solidarity. Providing a comprehensive analysis of the principle of solidarity as provided in the acquis communautaire of the EU, the book critically analyses the legal framework pertaining to EU-Russia energy trade to ascertain whether, and to what extent, it satisfies the requirements of the rule of law.

Design, Ecology, Politics links social and ecological theory to design theory and practice, critiquing the ways in which the design industry perpetuates unsustainable development. Boehnert argues that when design does engage with issues of sustainability, this engagement remains shallow, due to the narrow basis of analysis in design education and theory. The situation is made more severe by design cultures which claim to be apolitical. Where design education fails to recognise the historical roots of unsustainable practice, it reproduces old errors. New ecologically informed design methods and tools hold promise only when incorporated into a larger project of political change. Design, Ecology, Politics describes how ecological literacy challenges many central assumptions in design theory and practice. By bringing design, ecology and socio-political theory together, Boehnert describes how power is constructed, reproduced and obfuscated by design in ways which often cause environmental harms. She uses case studies to illustrate how communication design functions to either conceal or reveal the ecological and social impacts of current modes of production. The transformative potential of design is dependent on deep-reaching analysis of the problems design attempts to address. Ecologically literate and critically engaged design is a practice primed to facilitate the creation of viable, sustainable and just futures. With this approach, designers can make sustainability not only possible, but attractive.

Marshalling 129 maps, numerous diagrams and incisive textual commentary, the Atlas of Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century draws a definitive picture of the changing shape of Eastern and some of central Europe from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present, charting the emergence of a volatile world from the abrupt collapse of the communist system. An invaluable guide to a complex subject, this Atlas:
* gives a general introduction to the physical, ethnic and religious composition of the region
* includes summary maps of Eastern Europe in 1900, 1923, 1945 and 1994
* charts the ebb and flow of the first and second world wars in Eastern Europe
* presents detailed information relating to consituent territories, elections, economic developments, land holding patterns for key individual countries in the inter-war years
* provides crucial social and economic data, evidencing changes under communist domination
* gives maps of the new states of the post-communist years with details of elections and economic indicators for Albania, Belarus, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Croatia, The Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Slovakia, and others.
* contains an extensive glossary listing the major towns of the area under their linguistic variants