Paulson (Latin American studies and anthropology, Miami U.) and Gezon (anthropology, State U. of West Georgia) present these 14 papers are representative of a new wave of research in political ecology that is increasingly conscious of such issues as power dynamics in everyday interactions and formal policy arenas and the environmental interests knowledge, and practices of social groups differentiated by race, ethnicity, gender, or other factors. Varied in approach and in topic, the articles share a common concern for expanding the conceptual and methodological strength of the field. Specific topics include water reform in Zimbabwe, land tenure and biodiversity in Kenya, gendered practices and landscapes in the Andes, and the emergence of collective ethnic identities and alternative political ecologies in the Colombian Pacific Rainforest. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)