Brown, David L. & Shucksmith, Mark. Rethinking Rural studies. Edward Elgar Publishing. 2024, 240 pp, ISBN: 978 1 80,088 177 8

Abstract

Rethinking Rural Studies is a novel reflection on rural studies through the lens of the structure and well-being of rural people and communities in the UK, the US, and Europe. The authors, David L. Brown and Mark Shucksmith are both emeritus professors and remain enthusiastic and active in research in rural societies and urban-rural interfaces. David L. Brown, a sociologist by training, is an emeritus international professor at Cornell University. Mark Shucksmith is an emeritus professor of planning at Newcastle University. In this book, they probe retrospective theories, knowledge, and experiments with supporting cases in rural research and practices, using a forward-looking perspective to identify emerging issues and propose new research agendas and possibilities for civic discourse and public policy formulation. Viewing rural studies as holistic and trans-disciplinary, they underscore the need for multi-methodological research strategies to foster innovation and in-depth examination of places embedded within the intricate and interrelated economic, social, and environmental systems.