REVIEWS 787 Antoni Kapcia's chapter on higher education and the revolution in Cuba reveals certain specificfeaturesof the Cuban situation so far not very clearly identifiedby the authorsof other books covering that country. Kapcia argues that 'the Cuban system is actually far from monolithic in its structuresand effects and is in fact remarkablyflexible, adaptable and often contradictory' (p. I90). He gives some evidence that 'farfrom being efficientlycoercive, the systemcan be, formany Cubans, remarkablypermissive'(p. I9I). This allows for what he defines as 'the academic and political space' for the academics, though the evidence not alwayspoints in this direction and, as in the case of other countries, significantcontrarytendencies manifestthemselvesin Cuban academia all the time. This is an interestingbook, indicativeof the complexitiesof transitionfrom state socialismto a new orderof things and of the search for new solutionsto the perennial problem of harmoniously synchronizing political, social, economic and educationalchange. London J.J. TOMIAK Turnock, David (ed.). EastCentral Europe andtheFormer Soviet Union. Environment and Society.Arnold, London and New York, 2001, XiV+ 272 pp. Illustrations . Maps. Tables. Bibliography.Index. LI9.g99(paperback). THISis a book that promises much: to provide detailed coverage of the transition from communism to a market economy. The stated method of combining in-depth coverage of specificareas,combined with broad views of development across the region, is a tried and tested approach. The editor, David Turnock, and chapterauthors mostlyUK-based geographerswith a smattering of Polish and Hungarian academics -are also well known and experienced in their fields. Yet the resulting volume does not live up to its promise. Why? Firstly,it is not clear(fromeitherthejacket informationor fromthe editor's foreword)who the book is aimed at. The broad coverage attempted and the general lack of detailed analysiswould suggest an entry-level undergraduate text in the geography of east centralEurope. In addition the book could serve as a general non-specialist introduction to historical, economic and environment -relatedissuesin the region. This is facilitatedby the synopticnatureand thematic structureof the book the latterdividingmaterialbetween a series of chapterson 'Historicalgeography', 'Contemporaryhuman processes' and 'The environment'.Although thisdivisioncould have been helpfullyrationalized by editorialintroduction,it does relatewell to core areasof geographical researchin which many of the chapter authorshave distinguishedcareers.In particular, the stress in the firstpart of the volume on historicalgeography, with referenceto currenttheoriesof path dependency, is a timely reminderof the necessityto contextualize post-socialistchange in the light of resource-led pre-socialiststate-building. Despite the overall rationale for a thematic approach, the individual chapters do not support it coherently. Several issues are problematic here. Firstly, a number of the authors make erroneous assertions about the 788 SEER, 8o, 4, 2002 contributionof theirmaterial,or of earlierchaptersin the book. Forexample, in the introduction to the second part of the book ('Contemporary human process'),AndrewDawson contends that '[c]ontributorsto the firstpartof the book have outlined the economic, social and environmental legacies of communism' (p. 85), when in fact this was a very minor part of the previous section. In addition, the 'broad-brush'approach of many chapters is often compounded by old or poorly-citedmaterial(manyreferencesand data from the early-mid i990s), incorrect or over-neologized abbreviations, vague or rhetoricalstatements,and plain glaringerrors(e.g. Sweden is cited asjoining the European Union in the I970s, P. 232). The extent of these problemsmost of which should have been the subject of editorial intervention was sufficientlywidespreadto dull this reviewer'sappreciationof the better parts of the volume. In thisrespect,a numberof the chaptersareworthwhilereading:highlights include the ever-reliable Derek Hall on transport and tourism; Tassilo Herrschel on regional approaches; Jon Oldfield and Denis Shaw on the formerSoviet environmentandTurnockhimselfon theCarpathianecoregion. Here the authorsare up-to-date (particularlyin relationto EU developments and influences)with useful case-studydata and authoritativeopinions, based on in-depth knowledge of their regions. Finallya broad, syntheticconclusion is attemptedby Chad Staddonand Turnock.This isa rareattemptatboldness in the book and tries to marry theories and concepts (e.g. 'fast capitalism') from contemporarypolitical economy approachesto the main themes of the preceding chapters. On many levels it is provocative and worthwhile,though a certain cognitive dissonance with the earlier and generally descriptive materialisapparent.The chapterendswith a usefuloverviewof the challenges fordemocracyand sustainabledevelopmentin theregionwith an accompanying plea forlocally-engagedprocesses,both in policy and research. But despite this...