Growing a Radical Ruralism: Back‐to‐the‐Land as Practice and Ideal

Abstract

AbstractBack‐to‐the‐land migration can be summarised as the intended adoption of a primarily agrarian lifestyle by individuals from non‐agrarian backgrounds. Back‐to‐the‐land has historically served as both an ideal and a set of practices, a set of push‐and‐pull factors that influence rural in‐migration and a range of activities that work in service of this ambition. The radical shift in lifestyle that characterises this kind of migration is often tethered to a political radicalism, but one that is not easily identifiable in visible social movements or organised political action. Rather, it manifests itself in practices of self‐sufficiency, alternative economic structures and experiments in social organisation. This review looks at the historical roots of back‐to‐the‐land as a radical movement, asking what relevance it has for contemporary political issues such as human and non‐human welfare, environmental sustainability and non‐capitalist economic relations. A strong focus on the material dimensions of back‐to‐the‐land is maintained, highlighting the specific potential of rural spaces to host and catalyse radical ambitions. Furthermore, a case is presented for interrogating the relationship between alternative agro‐food networks (AAFNs) and back‐to‐the‐land migrants, since these structures often provide an explicit articulation of their participants’ values and strategies.