Rural Communities: Legacy and Change - Softcover

Cornelia Butler Flora; Jan L. Flora; Susan Fey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0813397693 ISBN 13: 9780813397696

Publisher: Westview Press, 2001

Synopsis

Rural America is a complex mixture of peoples and cultures struggling for survival. It ranges in character from workers in manufacturing plants in Georgia to Laotian immigrants who have relocated in Kansas; from farmers committed to sustainable agriculture to entrepreneurs planning a world-class ski resort in California's Sierra Nevadas; from laid-off miners in West Virginia to Native Americans in the Southwest searching for an economy consistent with their cultural values. These are all parts of rural America, seldom heard of in the mass media but deeply reflective of the legacies left by those who settled the land.This revised and updated edition of Rural Communities bridges the gap between social theory and community change by focusing on the problems that face rural America and offering students a framework for applying sociological concepts. The authors explore such issues as the diversity among rural communities; the interactions between communities and the economy; the governmental, economic, and social resources available in rural communities; and how communities organize for action. Although the authors explore community change within a rural context, their findings are applicable to urban neighborhoods as well. The notion of empowerment-that the understanding and analysis provided through the social sciences can result in community action-is unique to this book.This book can be used as a text for introductory courses in rural sociology, social problems, and community studies or by community groups to explore their own responses to a variety of problems. The book is also the companion text to a PBS college-level telecourse and television series entitled Rural Communities: Legacy and Change . The telecourse portrays the experiences of fifteen rural communities from across the United States.

About this title

About the Author

Cornelia Butler Flora is director of the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development and professor of sociology at Iowa State University, where she is also Charles F. Curtis distinguished professor of agriculture. Cornelia Butler Flora is professor in the Department of Sociology at Iowa State University.Jan L. Flora is professor in the Department of Sociology at Iowa State University.Susan Fey is at North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, Iowa State University.Cornelia Butler Flora is professor in the Department of Sociology at Iowa State University.Jan L. Flora is professor in the Department of Sociology at Iowa State University.Susan Fey is at North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, Iowa State University.

Review

"Ambitious in both scope and content.... will have the most effect among applied sociologists and those with strong local economic development policy interests. There is plenty of material in the book that sociologists can use to help community development groups understand their local situations more completely." -- Contemporary Sociology

"Does much to further our understanding of the role communities play in a rapidly changing global system.... fine scholarly work.... an excellent text." -- Rural Sociology

"Truly an exciting publication. Here is the first book in several decades that treats rural communities in a coherent, thorough, and theoretically informed manner. It is superbly readable and relevant for undergraduate courses on community analysis." -- Gene F. Summers, University of Wisconsin

About this edition

• Publisher: Westview Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0813397693
• ISBN 13: 9780813397696
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 352