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Did rural America bring Donald Trump to the presidency? As a phenomenon related to the rise of Trump, the authors try, in this paper, to explain the conservatism that surrounds them personally, as rural residents and rural education scholars. Their neighbors are (mostly) conservative; in part it defines them; it is part of their culture. They have suffered loss across generations, so they are interested to hold on to familiar ways of living. The schools play a contradictory role in this, as rural scholars (worldwide) know well. The authors present four explanations of Trump-related conservatism, all of which, they believe, are apt to some degree. They may not add up convincingly, but they might be a start. First, they explain voting for Trump as a "weapon of the weak" (see, e.g., Scott, 1985). Second, they deal with the Republican allegiances of many rural voters as a variant of "false consciousness." Third, they examine the "rural resonance with fundamentalism"--a religious revival cultivated since about 1970 and marketed nationwide even earlier than that (see, e.g., Grem, 2016; Miller, 2014). Finally, they address "racism as endemic and ubiquitous" in White America, with more polite manifestations in polite society and more blatant ones down home (see, e.g., Inwood, 2015).

In the context of information and communication technologies in five Newfoundland coastal communities, this article deals with participatory research and outreach. Outreach in these communities, reeling from the near-collapse of the fishery and struggling to survive in a climate of neo-liberal restructuring, is considered to be a holistic educational enterprise involving new technologies and the popular media, schools, and their district officers, clinics and regional health care providers, and children and adults as lifelong learners. Based on five approaches that emerged in the final year of one project--the work of an on-site liaison, a residential workshop, community workshops, reports through popular media, and contacts with outside organizations--the author argues that outreach should be recognized as integral to all stages of participatory research. (Contains 3 notes.) [This article was initially presented as a keynote address at the conference, "Questioning Rurality," Acadia University, March 2005.]

Purpose: Agricultural extension services in poor countries often identify opinion leaders based on criteria such as wealth and social status. We explore the effectiveness of this top-down approach by analysing the role of so-called model and nodal farmers in the diffusion of malt barley in a highland community in Ethiopia. Research approach: We use a retrospective case study design where we combine quantitative network analysis with qualitative data. Findings: Nodal farmers played a more central role in knowledge diffusion of the technology than model farmers. While model farmers were wealthier and better connected to the local authorities, nodal farmers were socio-economically more similar to their fellow farmers. Nodal and model farmers, as well as farmers closely connected to them, had a significantly higher adoption index than the rest. Practical implications: The diffusion of knowledge is an important condition for the adoption of modern agricultural technologies, but it is not enough, particularly when access to external inputs is limited. Moreover, relying on assumed opinion leaders has its limitations and may even reinforce existing inequalities. Theoretical implications: This paper has shown the complementarity of network approaches. We propose network approaches such as social network analysis to identify community brokers who emerge from bottom-up or clan-based, political, knowledge networks that mediate access to agricultural technologies. Originality: Our combined research approach differs from the mainstream of studies in this field that employ either ethnographic fieldwork or (spatial-)econometric methods. We aim to create a bridge between the often separated worlds of (technical) agronomic research, (qualitative) rural sociology, and (quantitative) econometric analysis.

The author reconsiders Guthrie's 1970 monograph, The Psychology of Modernization in the Rural Philippines, in light of current theories of development and underdevelopment. After summarizing the findings and the criticisms of the monograph, the author finds that Guthrie's work fleshes out Andre Gunder Frank's thesis concerning the "underdevelopment of sociology," and bolsters the arguments against Foster's "Image of the Limited Good" theory. The shortfalls of the monograph, the author conclude, stresses the need for an interdisciplinary approach to development studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive understanding of the impact of land fragmentation on collective action is essential for rural governance in developing countries. Prior publications have argued that land fragmentation impedes the sustainable development of agricultural economies and rural societies, while the connection between humans and nature has not been considered comprehensively. Therefore, the conclusion that the impact of land fragmentation on collective action is purely negative may be one-sided. To examine this conclusion, this paper re-evaluates the relationship between land fragmentation and rural collective action from a multidisciplinary perspective. Based on a rural field survey using stratified random sampling, Oprobit regression was employed to conduct an econometric analysis on data from 798 rural households across 14 cities in the border region of Guangxi, China. The following research findings were obtained: (1) When the human–nature connection is considered, the relationship between land fragmentation and collective action follows an inverted U-shaped curve. Specifically, moderate initial increases in land fragmentation can lead to improvements in collective action; however, when the degree of land fragmentation exceeds a certain threshold, further increases in land fragmentation will decrease the collective action capacity. (2) This nonlinear relationship between land fragmentation and collective action may be realized through three pathways: agricultural production, land use patterns, and the ecological environment. Under the context of collective action, this study shows that a moderate level of land fragmentation objectively exists in reality. This insight provides a new impetus for developing countries to shift policy perspectives to increase their land use efficiency. Additionally, this paper integrates relevant findings from both social sciences and natural sciences. Thereby, it not only expands the existing understanding of key factors influencing rural household collective action but also emphasizes the potential for cross-disciplinary integration between social sciences and natural sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presents the views of the authors on the statements made by Ben Bradshaw concerning the definitions of success and contingencies which affect success in community forestry. The authors agree with Bradshaw on the implication that community forestry must be deemed a success where jobs and revenues were created, even if in some tendencies some objectives were not achieved. They point out that Bradshaw's reference to the work of Adcharaporn Pagdee who conducted a meta-analysis of 69 community forestry around the world, indicates that the relation of expertise, experience and leadership to success in community forest, remains undersearched. The role of experience, leadership and expertise is undertheorized and requires more research.

This paper contends that rural communities in the United States and Europe broadly have been mainly studied as a dichotomy to their urban counterparts. The focus on cities and urban centers and an inculcation of myths and assumptions regarding ruralness have led to knowledge gaps, misperceptions, and missed opportunities in public administration and policy studies. This paper interrogates misconceptions about ruralness and refutes them. It identifies a gap in research agendas, knowledge, and scholarship about ruralness; explores issues with the design of policies and, therefore, policy implications concerning rural communities; and describes how the misconceptions, the lack of scholarly knowledge, and policy implications coalesce to drive a feeling of marginalization and exclusion in rural communities, fuelling a "culture war" dynamic. The conclusion offers potential directions for establishing a research agenda that prioritizes studying rural society as a subgroup with unique needs and belief systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of social capital as a resource for rural development, especially in the context of projects involving joint participation of state and civil society, is widely recognized today. This paper analyzes the obstacles confronted by local players--small farmers and government organizations--in the development of an irrigation area through the implementation of a social colonization project in the Upper Colorado River Basin (Argentina). After reviewing theoretical perspectives on social capital and development, the paper deals with the difficulties faced by economic agents in building social capital and the impact of this process on the productivity of farms and the progress of the territory. Finally, it discusses how public policies and institutional design has hampered the formation of social capital. Additionally, we stress the importance of this kind of analysis to critically revise the current role of these areas from the perspective of local and regional development. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

This paper explores the relations between older people, poverty and place in rural Britain. It develops previous work on rural poverty that has pointed both to the significance of older people within the rural poor population and to their denials of poverty. The paper also connects with recent discussions on the complexity of relations between poverty and social exclusion in later life, as well as key themes emerging from studies of older people in disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods. Drawing on findings from a survey of 4000 households in rural Wales and interviews with older people in poverty in three rural places, the paper provides a detailed examination of the materialities and experiences of poverty among older people in rural places. In particular, it highlights how older poor groups construct their lives in complex terms with references made to both social inclusions and exclusions. The research also points to the significance of the socio-cultural contexts of place in shaping older people's understandings of poverty in rural areas. (Contains 3 tables.)

Drawing from 81 interviews with practitioners in social care and housing with care services in the United Kingdom, this paper explores practice issues in rural areas when supporting the mental health and well-being of older people from Black and minority ethnic groups. The paper begins with a review of the literature which provides evidence that BME older people are likely to be increasingly part of the populations of rural areas. Next it presents interview data revealing that while practitioners are aware of such demographic changes in general terms; some feel that they lack training and skills in adapting their professional practice to support all older people. Others express feelings of professional isolation in seeking to support older people from minority groups and are concerned that older people from minority groups may be at risk of isolation and loneliness. The paper concludes with a discussion of the study's implications for rural practice, policy and research.

Whilst rural idylls have dominated some discussions of rural social difference, little attention has been paid to rural utopias. Imagined, material and discursive experiences of utopian rural ideals are critically examined in this paper. It takes as its focus the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival--an annual US womyn-only festival--in order to understand the mutual construction of empowering rural spaces and non(hetero)normative women's bodies. The first part of the paper moves away from the current focus on "rural idylls" to understand social difference and ruralities, and argues that the notion of "rural utopia" is a useful framework to reconsider rural possibilities for those considered "other" to dominant (heterosexual) hegemonies. The context of the festival and qualitative empirical research methodologies are explained. In the second part of the paper four themes that arose from this research are explored. Firstly, the "free expression" of sexualities, including sex and relationships is seen as creating a "slice of lesbian rural utopia" at Michfest. Secondly, rural utopian understandings of Michfest as womyn's space where diverse bodily aesthetics are celebrated are compared and contrasted to urban spaces, and particularly the gendered embodiments of "everyday" life. Third, while womyn's bodies may contest heteronormative performances of femininity, they also reiterate normative and embodied versions of "women", creating womyn's space through the controversial "womyn-born-womyn" entry policy. Fourth, rural tensions are examined around the negotiation of work (voluntary and paid). The paper concludes by arguing that a focus on imperfect (lesbian) utopias furthers our understanding of gender, sexuality and rurality.

This paper focuses on the representation of post-productive countryside in Finland by exploring how the rural is presented in the context of second home tourism. Being an integral part of rural areas and their history, second homes are an established example of the post-productive consumption of countryside. The international and Finnish literature on rural images provides the theoretical framework for the paper. Research on rural visions has been active in recent years with an emphasis on the Anglocentric interpretations of the rural idyll. This paper contributes to this discussion by providing an empirical review of Finnish popular discourses of second homes. The review is based on an analysis of second-home owners' motives and media representations. The second home countryside is analysed as a farmscape, wildscape and activityscape. The results suggest that the Finnish second home landscape is seen as wilderness (1), life at second homes imitates visions of traditional rural life (2), and the environment is used for traditional consumptive and leisure activities (3). (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

Climate change is the preeminent environmental problem of this time, and Joseph Molnar's call for greater attention to it by rural sociologists is both welcome and timely. The agenda he lays out for rural sociology's engagement with climate change, however, seems rather narrow and restrictive. Examining the potential impacts of climate change, feasible mitigation options, and possible coping or adaptive strategies for agricultural (and other natural-resource) industries and rural communities are obviously topics for which rural sociologists are particularly well qualified. However, the author argues that rural sociology should be able to make broader contributions to understanding the human dimensions of climate change. In this paper, the author aims to complement and extend Molnar's call and comments on the scope of Molnar's research agenda, its dependence on natural science, and its rather casual treatment of the "climate debate." In the process of dealing with these interrelated issues, the author suggests a broader research agenda for rural sociologists and other social scientists interested in climate change and reference a wide range of literature that should provide guideposts for pursuing such research. (Contains 3 footnotes.)