Reimagining Rural (Studies in Urban–Rural Dynamics)

Reimagining Rural: Urbanormative Portrayals of Rural Life examines the ways in which rural people and places are being portrayed by popular television, reality television, film, literature, and news media in the United States. It is also an examination of the social processes that reinforce urbanormative standards that normalize urban life and render rural life as something unusual, exotic, or deviant. This includes exploring the role of the media as agenda setting agent, informing people what and how to think about rural life. Further it includes scrutinizing the institution of formal education that promotes a homogenous urban-oriented curriculum, while in the process, marginalizing the unique characteristics of local rural communities. These contributions are some of the only studies of their kind, investigating popular cultural representations of rural life, while providing powerful evidence and unique challenges for an urban society to rethink and reimagine rural life, while confronting the many stereotypes and myths that exist.

Gregory M. Fulkerson, Ph.D., is professor of sociology and chair of geography and environmental sustainability at SUNY Oneonta. Along with Dr. Alex Thomas, he is co-editor of the Urban-Rural Dynamics book series. He is the author of Community in Urban-Rural Systems, and co-author of City and Country, Urbanormativity, and Critical Rural Theory. His research focuses on social capital, community development, globalization, the environment, and urban-rural issues.

Alexander R. Thomas, Ph.D., is professor of sociology at SUNY Oneonta. He is co-editor, with Dr. Gregory Fulkerson, of the Urban-Rural Dynamics book series. He has published numerous books and articles on cities and their relationship with the countryside, including In Gotham's Shadow, The Evolution of the Ancient City, and Critical Rural Theory. He is also author of the newly released book The Sociological Predicament.