David L. Brown and Kai A. Schafft: Rural people and communities in the twentyfirst century: resilience and transformation

Abstract

Rural America has undergone dramatic changes in the last half century. Brown and Schafft (2011) survey these changes in Rural People and Communities in the Twentyfirst Century. The book synthesizes research on the social, economic, and political aspects of life in rural America. Intended for students, policy-makers, and academics, the book is an introduction to the many issues facing these communities today. The authors introduce their work with a compelling argument for the importance of rural communities. The rural population, comprising 17 % of the US population, is larger than ‘‘other important subgroups’’ like Hispanics (Brown and Schafft 2011:11). Moreover, most of the nation’s infrastructure and natural resources exist in rural areas. American society is deeply invested in a collective rural identity. The ‘‘rural mystique’’ idealizes rural life as ‘‘somehow more moral, virtuous, and simple’’ than urban life (10). A collective memory of idyllic life before urbanization means that many Americans want to preserve such communities, even if they never experience rural life firsthand. Rural People and Communities includes sections on rural places in urban society; rural communities, institutions and environments; rural populations; rural economy and socioeconomic well-being; and policy recommendations. Each chapter relates empirical data to macro-level changes and policy debates, and each spotlights diverse theories to interpret the data. This technique makes this book a ‘‘toolkit’’ that equips readers with a broad range of analytic frames. For example, ‘‘Understanding Community in Rural Society’’ compares perspectives of ‘‘community as a social system’’ and ‘‘community as a field of social interaction,’’ to show how they can be fruitfully combined for a robust understanding of community life (38–46). Particularly compelling were Chapters 9 (‘‘Farms, Farmers, and Farming’’) and 10 (‘‘Poverty’’). Poverty is often considered an urban problem. However, the magnitude and quality of poverty in rural areas differs greatly from urban environments. Rural areas suffer from deep, persistent poverty. Whereas urban families cycle in and out of economic instability, rural families experience fewer fluctuations. The rural poor are at high poverty risk but numerically few, rendering them largely invisible in national poverty programs. These policies, designed to alleviate urban problems, are unsatisfactory outside the city. For example, in addition to living far from basic services such as grocery stores or medical facilities, rural workers often face a long, costly commute. Transportation costs quickly make work ‘‘economically irrational’’ for those who cannot relocate to pricier urban markets. However, the nation’s largest anti-poverty program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, is ‘‘contingent on work effort... [and has] strict time limits’’ trapping the rural poor in employment costs that outstrip financial returns (199). Chapter 9 dispels myths of widespread agricultural labor in rural communities. Many Americans assume that agricultural and rural policies are synonymous, but this conflation is misguided. Shifts over the last 200 years have undermined agriculture as a ‘‘viable livelihood strategy’’ for many (Brown and Schafft 2011:183). Agricultural lands are increasingly under the control of fewer individuals. At the time of publication, only 7 % of rural Americans were involved in farming. Brown and Schafft (179) suggest that, rather than just examining agriculture, scholars focus on ‘‘food systems,’’ the ‘‘complex set of social, economic, and L. R. Moore (&) University of Kentucky, 211 Lafferty Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0024, USA e-mail: LaurenRMoore@uky.edu