J. R. Barton: A political geography of Latin America. London, Routledge, 1997. xvi, 243 s., ill. GBP 15,-.

Political geography has tended to focus on nation-states seen from a Northern perspective. In 'A political geography of Latin America', Jonathan Barton aims to correct both of these biases. He argues that the South should not be seen as peripheral to political geography but as an integral part, and that it is vital to analyse relationships between people, power and space at a range of scales from the global to the personal. Hence, he aims to provide a broad analysis of Latin American political geography which emphasizes difference and diversity, andillustrates how power and space relations åre not only determined by inter-state but also by intra-state activities. The book starts by tracing the development of political geography and the geography of Latin America, highlighting the central theme of power and space. After establishing the theoretical and conceptual framework for the book, an historical account of the Latin American continent is presented focusing on power-space relations and international relations since pre-Columbian times. The geopolitics and geoeconomics of the continent åre then analysed before turning to a discussion of the Latin American state. The focus then moves to social and cultural diversity and the way this affects the political geography of the continent. This is an ambitious project which should be commended for its aims. The focus on complexity and diversity fits into the current trend in social sciences, and Barton is right to argue for a more central position for the South in political geography. Ironically, though, there is no consideration of his role as a Northemer representing the South. The book has a particularly strong historical perspective, and the discussions of geopolitical economy and the state åre thorough. The desire to cover all scales within the space of one book, though, is bound to lead to some issues not

being so well covered, the very brief and misleading reference to the informal sector being a case in point. The book is well illustrated with photographs which have informative captions, and with cases presented in boxes which åre generally both interesting and informative. Rather frustratingly, though, many of the tables åre not referred to in the text, which means that readers have to draw their own conclusions, and at times åre left wondering why certain tables (such as the tableon urban unemployment which appears in the section on landholding structures) have been included. At the end of each chapter there is a useful list of further reading, though it is not clear why this is restricted to books only. The book is well written, though, and will be a useful text for students of both Latin America and political geography.