6_Book Reviews.indd 297Book review section – Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 67 (2018) (3) 293–305.DOI: 10.15201/hungeobull.67.3.7 Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 67 2018 (3) Solarz, M.W. (ed.): New Geographies of the Globalized World. Abingdon–New York, Routledge, 2018. 216 p. As a consequence of globalisation, the shrinking world, time-space convergence, distantiation and compression cause the concept of space (which is ‘collapsing’) to become more and more relativised, multifaceted and therefore less important, while terri- torial thinking and the role of place from the perspec- tive of globalisation are being reinterpreted and more becoming the focus of interest in geography. Along with this change the role of scale is also going through a process of re-conceptualisation in human geography (Elden, S. 2005; Murray, W.E. and Overton, J. 2015). Several authors criticise that the scale of the nation- state is prioritised since many of the various districts, regions and zones extend across national boundaries and transnational networks cannot be described at the level of nation states, either. Furthermore, local entities and communities are revalued by attaching more importance to them since these could be af- fected by globalisation in completely different ways. Moreover, the global impact of a micro region may be substantial as well. New viewpoints, observations and metaphors are being used for describing the process of globalisation, e.g. global networks, global flows or glocalisation (Sheppard, E. 2002). The essays in the volume “New Geographies of the Globalized World” analyse the phenomenon of globalisation through various topics of geography. The concrete examples are of different scale and pro- vide tangible and apprehensible clues for interpreting global networks and flows. The volume does not question the existence of the process of globalisation, it rather perceives it as a victorious revolution, which should be thoroughly investigated. It disputes those viewpoints that do not see globalisation as a new era in human history and think that the hype around it is largely exaggerated. It implicitly adapts the transformationalist approach to globalisation, so it argues that due to the time-space compression interactions are rescaled and because of the existence of new networks processes become more complex than old patterns (Murray, W.E. and Overton, J. 2015). The authors are not concerned with defining globalisation, so the volume does not deal with competing discourses and the history of glo- balisation. Instead, it focuses on specific themes and areas, present in geographic space, which often can easily be depicted on maps as well. Through these examples the new networks and currents that have emerged as a result of global changes become appar- ent. The book aims to reveal and present the various relationships between people and the world that are profoundly restructured in this new global era. The volume was published by Routledge in February 2018 as part of the Routledge Studies in Human Geography series. Its editor is Marcin Wojciech Solarz, associate professor of the University of Warsaw, Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies. Solarz’s major research topics are in connec- tion with political and development geography. His latest book related to this volume was “The Language of Global Development: A Misleading Geography” (Solarz, M.W. 2014). The chapters of the book are or- ganised around topics of demography, development geography, urban geography, transportation, environ- mental issues, world conflicts and twenty-first-century diseases. The mostly Polish, Romanian and Hungarian co-authors discuss the above mentioned topics in nine chapters, where the topic of development is of special emphasis, since two chapters are devoted to it. The first chapter by Barbara Jaczewska, Tomasz Wites, Marcin Wojciech Solarz, Maciej Jędrusik and Małgorzata Wojtaszczyk deals with contemporary demographic trends in the world. Before discussing current tendencies, it outlines previous milestones in 298 Book review section – Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 67 (2018) (3) 293–305. the demographic development of the world’s popu- lation. Some surprising data make the reader further reflect upon certain facts, for example that the major- ity of those who were born when only 2 billion people lived on Earth are still alive today. The growth of oe- cumene (inhabited territories) and suboecumenes (tran- sitional zones) at the expense of anoecumene points to the geographical dimensions of uninhabited and inhabited areas and the migration of boundaries be- tween them. After presenting the changing population of the various continents and countries, the authors undertake a critical analysis of Malthus, Dennis and Donella Meadows and other demographic forecasts. The chapter also provides a number of examples for phases of the demographic transition model, comple- mented by Ethiopian and Russian case studies. The next part of the chapter analyses migration as one of the main contemporary challenges in Europe and the world. Since contemporary migration is char- acterised by enormous diversity, a detailed expla- nation would go beyond the scope of this chapter, but the following five important tendencies are high- lighted for the most significant changes: 1. extensive spread; 2. mass scale; 3. differentiation of migration; 4. shift in migration destination; and 5. the politicisa- tion of migration, which is strongly felt in Europe. The authors specify the characteristics of modern migratory phenomena and strategies by Zygmunt Bauman’s ‘liquid modernity’ theory, which in his opinion better describes the condition of constant mo- bility and change of the postmodern contemporary society. Bauman writes of a transition from solid mo- dernity to a more liquid form of social life (Bauman, Z. 2000). Similarly, in the case of ‘liquid migration strategies’ migration destinations are rapidly chang- ing, “and active choices are made to move to where opportunities are available at a given moment” (p. 16). Case studies (on tourism and on the European migration crisis) and maps further help to deepen one’s knowledge on the issue and draw the attention to the various types of migration. Most global events and phenomena are closely related to development. Although before the World War II the term ‘development’ was not in general use, the pursuit of progress, development or a high- er ‘level of civilisation’ was among the goals to be achieved, so much so that societies considered to be more developed wanted to shape the so called un- derdeveloped, ‘barbarian’ groups of people in their own image. Ferenc Gyuris starts Chapter 2 with the introduction of the various concepts of development, analysing in more detail the changing viewpoints af- ter World War II. The starting point for these concepts was the economy centred Trumanian thought, which considered economic development a prerequisite for creating peace, freedom and prosperity. That is why, in order to promote economic development, a lot of organisations were established both in the Eastern and the Western bloc, and the chapter provides us also with an insight into the differences between them. The new macro-regions of the world were also outlined on the basis of a new economy-centred ap- proach (First, Second, Third World, regional econom- ic integrations), and the measurement of develop- ment was determined by economic producion (GDP). Gyuris points out that after the political changes in 1968 and the subsequent oil crises, the exclusivity of massively technology- and economy-oriented in- terpretations of development faded and led to new approaches towards development policies. New measurement methods were developed, such as the Human Development Index (HDI). One of the indicators of development may be the degree of social inequalities, and since they are often connected to different geographical locations, spatial disparity has become the focus of observations. The remaining and newly discovered micro- and macro- scale forms of disparities and spatial injustice require new ways of (critical) seeing. With the help of statistical data and graphs Gyuris illustrates the challenges of measuring global differ- ences and interpreting the results. Data on inter-coun- try inequality in GDP (Weighted Standard Deviation) and on concentration of the GDP and population (Hoover Concentration Index) show a significant de- crease in differences between nations from 1992 to 2015, and similarly positive results are obtained if life expectancy or infant death indexes are taken into ac- count. However, if we do the comparison with GDP based indicators excluding China, we see that declin- ing global inequalities are mainly due to the rapid economic growth of China. Other global data, which also suggest positive trends, disguise intra-national disparities as well, and comparisons based on an “ex- clusive focus on the national scale” (p. 42) may lead to ‘methodological nationalism’ (Wimmer, A. and Glick Schiller, N. 2002). At the end of the chapter the reader can become familiar with the arguments of post-de- velopmentalist and anti-developmentalist thinkers, who belong to the various critical approaches towards the highly contested concept of development. Critical approach to spatial development continues in Chapter 3. Marcin Wojciech Solarz looks into the spatial language of global development. In his opinion, after the 1940s we can observe a terminological ‘Big Bang’ (p. 54), where the classification, categorisation and labelling of countries have become widespread. The most long-lasting classifications prove to be the division of the three worlds (First, Second and Third World) and the North-South dichotomy, despite the fact that these concepts are more than 50 years old and both international relations and the structure of the international community today are fundamentally different. According to Solarz, it is possible to outline a hypothetical evolutionary cycle for the spatial lan- guage of global development, which consists of four 299Book review section – Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 67 (2018) (3) 293–305. phases, preceded by an initial phase that the author is calling ”drive to revolution” (p. 60). This period is characterised by expressions referring to human de- velopment such as the Agricultural Revolution (12,000 BC) or the Age of Discovery (15th century). This long phase ended with the Industrial Revolution, which already belongs to the author’s first phase (“pre-take- off”, p. 60), and the time when the Europeanisation of the world began, and this Europe-centred approach was also reflected in expressions used to describe de- velopment. In the second phase, i.e. after the World Wars, we can witness the Big Bang of spatial devel- opment terminology. In the third phase from around 1980 the diversity of denominations did not decline, but they have lost their spectacular character. We are currently in this phase, so the fourth, latest phase is more hypothetical than the whole theory itself. This evolutionary theory divided into phases draws atten- tion to the interlinkages between social environment, increasingly recognised spatial disparities and their assigned denominations. Solarz also outlines the scale of specific development terms (distinguishing between large, medium and small terms) and then embarks on an interesting intellectual adventure. He analyses the relationship of the North-South divide and the defini- tion of prosperity from a philosophical perspective. He illustrates on maps how the world would look like in contrast to the current North-South dichotomy based on Hobbes’s, Locke’s and Rousseau’s social con- tract theory. In each case, two criteria from the philo- sophical approach (e.g. security felt and proportion of homicides) are investigated on basis of current data. Thus can become Niger a ‘northern’ country next to Norway, and France a ‘southern’ country along with the USA. Solarz points out that the notions of the ‘rich North’ and ‘poor South’ are more than oversimpli- fied. Therefore, he presents newly defined boundaries and draws attention to the importance of the Human Development Report and well-being indicators. In the first part of Chapter 4, the authors Voicu Bodocan, József Benedek and Raulariu Rusu analyse the globalised urban space and world city formations from national and world economy perspectives. They emphasise the crucial role of international flows (mainly transport) in the formation of world cities as well as the importance of locational attributes. In addition to being part of commercial processes these cities can be viewed as part of diplomatic networks as well, since most of the world cities are capital cities. After suburbanisation, urban sprawl, re-urbanisation and gentrification the authors introduce recent trends emerging in urban policy and urbanisation. Capital and world cities in post-socialist Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) had to pass through rapid transition after 1990. Competition for investment has resulted in territorial inequalities and has magnified existing dis- parities. At the end of the chapter the characteristics of real estate development and suburbanisation are presented through specific examples from CEE coun- tries and cities. The authors also highlight potential tensions between the inner city and outer suburbs, and the role of local governments and public bodies in urban management. The Romanian and Hungarian case studies provide ample insight into the deeper layers of urbanisation and urban policies. Chapter 5 deals with the flow of goods, commodi- ties and people within the topic of global transport. The authors (Attila Jancsovics, Imre Bitter, Cathy Macharis, Balázs Németh, Vilmos Oszter and Gábor Szalkai) after reviewing global maritime, rail, road and air transport, analyse the current trends of urban mobility. Thereafter they focus on the territorial rear- rangement of trade routes (e.g. because of the rise of Asia or new maritime, land and air routes etc.) and the characteristics of global flows of various types of products (e.g. liquid and bulk products) and people (e.g. tourism). In addition to examining the increas- ing environmental burden of transport, the global expansion of new solutions is also discussed, like the emergence of electric vehicles. Current trends show a steep rise in air traffic and the emergence of new global hubs, which is illustrated in the chapter by a case study on Dubai, demonstrating the increas- ing global role of the central city of the United Arab Emirates. The last section of the chapter focuses on dominant trends, current challenges and emerging solutions in urban mobility. In Chapter 6 Anna M. Solarz analyses the global role, distribution, emergence and future trends of religions. The role of religions in international rela- tions is often overlooked, though it is an important component of soft power in world politics. Due to the unscientific character of religions and the deeply rooted paradigm of secularisation, social sciences and human geography have paid less attention to this subject, although Peter Berger examining de- secularisation processes refuted general anticipations asserting that the world is increasingly turning away from religions (Berger, P.L. 1999). Therefore, Solarz promotes new research perspectives in examining the interconnections between religion and international relations. A major part of the chapter is dedicated to introducing the most important religions by num- bers, so we get a general overview about the distri- bution of religions in the world based on data from the World Religion Database and the Pew Research Center. While analysing the figures, it becomes obvi- ous that there are several possibilities for categorising religions. Contemporary data can prefigure trends in the future, especially if one considers the age distribu- tion of religious followers and that the role and weight of religions and continents will surely change in time. In the final part of the chapter, the focus is again in- ternational relations and the way the perceived nega- tive and positive aspects of religions effect on them. Negative connotations are based on a long tradition, 300 Book review section – Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 67 (2018) (3) 293–305. an approach that sees religions as sources of conflicts. The actions of the Islamic State and Islamic terrorism seem to support this interpretation, but Solarz points out that religions are not to be observed through this prism. Among the positive influences of religions, she mentions religiously motivated individual at- tempts (e.g. of Mahatma Gandhi, the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu) and religious international organisa- tions involved in international development and hu- manitarian assistance. The effects of various religions differ from region to region, because the role they play in distinct societies differ as well. Therefore, it is not possible to formulate general statements about reli- gions expected to be true everywhere in the world. Evidence of the environmental damage caused by humankind is backed up by ever more shocking data, which Anna Dudek, Jerzy Makowski and Joanna Miętkiewska-Brynda are providing in Chapter 7, re- porting on, inter alia, the startling growth rate of de- forestation and rhino horn smuggling. The authors unconventionally analyse environmental problems, like the effects of invasive alien species and the frag- mentation and isolation of the various habitats of biot- ic communities. Although transboundary movements of hazardous waste are attempted to be controlled by international treaties, the city of Guiyu in China has become the world’s largest electronic waste stor- age ‘facility’ since the mid-1990s. The chapter deals with the problems of marine pollution and exploita- tion as well. Environmental threats of the mining of submarine mineral resources are enumerated in de- tail, illustrating that it is not so easy to find solutions for such problems. After exploring the links between deforestation and popular products (e.g. palm oil), threats to protected areas are also highlighted in detail in relation to trends of rhino and elephant poaching. Marek Madej in Chapter 8 describes the twenty-first century processes of global conflicts, wars and terror- ism, distinguishing state-based conflicts from non-state conflicts and incidents of one-sided violence. Since cur- rently Africa has the most armed conflicts, the author describes the continent as the “heart of darkness”. Europe and the Western hemisphere are characterised by him as “oases of calm” and Asia and the Middle East as “hot” regions (p. 172). He investigates in a separate case study how drug related crime in Mexico turns into armed conflict. The author also uses tropes while analysing international terrorism, e.g. “explosive Asia and Middle East”, “African slippery slope”, “not so- so-calm Europe and America” (p. 176). There is a lot of similarity between the geography of terrorism and the territorial distribution of armed conflicts, but Madej points to significant differences as well. The chapter is closed by the introduction of multinational armed interventions in the wider Middle East region. As a conclusion the author emphasises the importance of small-scale investigations since large scale analyses could easily overlook local ‘oasis of peace’. Which factors determine the state of human health? Izabella Łęcka analyses this complex and difficult question in the closing chapter. After a brief introduc- tion of global (Planetary Health) and local scales, the author presents the different grouping options of dis- eases based on different aspects. Then she provides a detailed assessment of the epidemiological transi- tion models. These, similarly to the population transi- tion model, link birth and death rates and population growth to the state of public health and the spread of epidemics. The author links specific regions, countries and groups of countries to stages of the model from “pestilence and famine” (first stage) to “high quality of life with persistent inequalities” (last stage) (p. 191). However, the epidemiological transition theory can- not be universal because of the lack of reliable statis- tics and records on the cause of death, e.g. in Africa. In the rest of the chapter, each continent is analysed with special attention to certain countries or regions. Finally, the author describes the relationship between migration and disease and its geographical aspects. In the introduction of the book, Marcin Wojciech Solarz characterises the pre-globalisation world as a set of macro- and micro-worlds coexisting under opaque glass domes. As he argues, the “Revolution of Globalization” shattered these opaque domes. One can also apply the metaphor to the book itself, which discusses crucial themes of human geography in the 21st century and makes them more clearly visible and intelligible by shattering the opaque glass domes above them. The Central European aspects of the book are also important, as most chapters cover this region as well. The place of the region in the division of the world, its development, its demographic status, its reli- gions, its exposure to migration etc. are topics that may be of interest to not only researchers but the general public as well. The volume can very well be recom- mended to both students of social and natural sciences, as well as to researchers interested in the subject. Géza Barta1 R E F E R E N C E S Bauman, Z. 2000. Liquid Modernity. Cambridge, Polity Press. Berger, P.L. 1999. The desecularization of the world: A global overview. In The Desecularization of the World: Resurgent Religion and World Politics. Ed.: Berger, P.L. Washington, D. C., Ethics and Public Policy Center, 1–18. 1 Doctoral School of Earth Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest, Hungary. E-mail: gezabarta@ gmail.com. The research has been supported by the National Research Development an Innovation Office (NKFI), contract no. K 124291. 301Book review section – Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 67 (2018) (3) 293–305. Elden, S. 2005. Missing the point: Globalization, deter- ritorialization and the space of the world. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 30. (1): 8–19. Murray, W.E. and Overton, J. 2015. Geographies of Globalization. Abingdon–New York, Routledge. Sheppard, E. 2002. The spaces and times of globali- zation: Place, scale, networks, and positionality. Economic Geography 78. (3): 307–330. Solarz, M.W. 2014. The Language of Global Development: A Misleading Geography. London–New York, Routledge. Wimmer, A. and Glick Schiller, N. 2002. Methodological nationalism and beyond: Nation-state building, mi- gration and the social sciences. Global Networks 2. (4): 301–334.