Book Review: Allen, C. M. (2005). An Industrial Geography of Cocaine. New York: Routledge. xi pp., 149 pp

• Date: 01 June 2008
• DOI: 10.1177/1057567708319235
• Published date: 01 June 2008
• Author: Tom Mieczkowski
• Subject Matter: Articles

In Chapter 5, Violent Contexts, the authors examine how the perception of violence varies

depending on whether it occurs in the professional’s own territory, public places, or private homes.

The latter is often the most intimidating for professionals who work in this context as “isolation

exacerbates fear” (p. 117). However, police officers have the advantage of being able to take control

of a private space and back up their orders. All four groups must also consider possible reprimands

and other corrective actions from their superiors for their use of force which might be considered

unwarranted (pp. 141-142).

In Chapter 6, The Moral Dimensions of Workplace Violence, the authors point out that there was

“no apparent connection between the objective seriousness of the episode and the severity of the

interviewee’s reaction” (p. 143). They address the factors that make an incident serious in the eyes

of their interviewees. In terms of occupations, police officers are generally the most phlegmatic

about their experiences with violence, followed by social workers and mental health professionals,

then A&E staff (p. 145). It is possible that this perception by A&E staff comes from their profes-

sional expectation (moral contract) that people come to them for their assistance and they least

deserve hostility. Police officers are more disturbed by situations that they view as humiliating and

bringing their authority into question (p. 151). Overall, violence is more tolerated if the person is

seen as not morally responsible (mad, as opposed to bad) and therefore not evoking moral censure

(p. 154). Receptionists and volunteers are the least tolerant of abusive behavior, perhaps believing

that they do not deserve such treatment (p. 159). A sympathetic ear which allows victims to justify

their feelings of fear and anger usually restores their moral universe. A denial of victimhood by man-

agers or peers and being told it is all part of the job can aggravate the worker’s reaction (p. 162).

In Chapter 7, Taming the Violent Workplace, the authors recommend an inclusive definition of

violence—one that takes into account how people react to the situation. The problem of violence is

often more of worker anxiety than the danger of assault (p. 169). Solutions such as zero tolerance or

training do not address the real issues of workplace violence. Many of the behaviors, such as inci-

vilities which make workers feel vulnerable, do not lend themselves to the “quick-fix, ‘get tough’

policy” (p. 172). Training to avoid violence, which may simply move the responsibility and blame

down to the worker, is not a workable solution. Unfortunately, the authors do not provide us with

their solution suggesting that “‘the problem’ is unlikely to yield to any ‘quick fix’; that is why we

abstain from making recommendations” (p. 183). They do, however, suggest that the investigation

of complaints against workers should be twinned with offering them support.

The book contains many vignettes which could provide trainees with excellent teaching material

on how to deal with violence in their workplaces.

Joan Brockman

Simon Fraser University

Allen, C. M. (2005). An Industrial Geography of Cocaine. New York: Routledge. xi pp.,

149 pp.

DOI: 10.1177/1057567708319235

This book has as its main objective a description of the cocaine industry as it has emerged dur-

ing the last three decades. The author, Dr. Christian Allen, is the Monroe Kimbrel Scholar at the

University of Georgia at Athens, where he has also held the Franklin Fellowship in the Department

of Geography. His research work has focused on the geography of Latin America and the Latin

American drug trade.

Book Reviews 241