Roundup: September 27, 2024
A regular feature of our growing online journal, The Rural Review, these roundup posts collect notable recent research, analysis, and related rural news and commentary. Feel free to send suggestions for future collections to us here. And, more details on other opportunities to contribute to The Rural Review can be found here.
Recent Publications
Melissa S. Jones, John P. Hoffmann, and Benjamin T. Wheelock (all Sociology, Brigham Young University) published Rural–Urban/Suburban Differences in the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Delinquency in Rural Sociology exploring potential variations in delinquent behavior among youths depending on whether they live in rural or urban/suburban areas. Using data from the 2022 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey, the authors find that the correlation between adverse childhood experiences and delinquent behavior varies for youths depending on their place of residency.
The South Dakota Law Review published Theorizing Legal Vulnerability to Enhance Rural Access to Justice by Brian Richard Farrell, Daria Fisher Page, and Ryan Sakoda (all University of Iowa College of Law). Noting that accurately measuring legal need and supply is essential to addressing the “justice gap,” the authors theorize the concept of legal vulnerability and offer an index through which it can be measured with the aim of better allocating resources and increasing access to justice.
Jesse Callahan Bryant and Justin Farrell (both Yale School of the Environment) published Conservatism, the Far Right, and the Environment in the Annual Review of Sociology. The authors explore a conservative intellectual tradition that draws on natural science for its authority. The article identifies the link between mythic pastoral ideas to ideologies depicting “real” Americans as solely white and rural and to contemporary secessionist movements in Vermont and Oregon.
News & Commentary
Inside Higher Ed published an opinion piece urging faculty on urban college campuses to counter narratives of universities as institutions hostile to rural students by countering anti-rural bias as it flares up around the contentious presidential election and challenging students to sharpen their critical thinking skills and practice inclusion.
Capital B reported on Patrick Braxton’s return to office as the first black mayor of the rural town of Newbern, Alabama, after being locked out of town hall by the town council following his first swearing in ceremony. After a long legal battle, a federal judge reinstated Braxton to his post, and the town of Newbern has pledged to hold regular municipal elections beginning in 2025.
An article in The New York Times featured an Iowa family in the midst of converting their hog farm operation into one growing mushrooms for medicinal tinctures and a coffee blend. Disillusioned with the financial and environmental costs of industrial farming, the family hopes the switch is a model for others looking to rebuild hollowed-out, rural communities.
The National Park Service announced $12 million in grant awards to help support the preservation of historic buildings in rural communities across the country. The grants will allow state and local governments and nonprofit organizations to support physical preservation projects that will benefit local economies.
Events & Recordings
ReImagine Appalachia announced its second annual summit on redeveloping shuttered coal plants, scheduled for Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at noon ET via Zoom. Noting that new federal investment incentives present an opportunity to transform blighted properties into potential resources for local communities, the summit will explore how to engage communities around shuttered coal plants, climate friendly manufacturing opportunities, financing and funding streams, and share case studies from the region. For more information and to register click here.
The new podcast Rebel Spirit recently shared the third installation of its series chronicling the efforts of host Akilah Hughes as she returns to her small town of Florence, Kentucky with a mission to change her high school’s mascot from a Confederate general to a beloved symbol of the South, the biscuit. The series shares conversations with Boone County students and parents, interviews with experts on mascot design and the history of the Confederacy, and perspectives from many others to explore what it takes to right historic wrongs. Listen here.
And, remember, sign-up is now live for our Zoom conversation with Dr. Nicholas Jacobs about his new book, The Rural Voter, at noon CT on Thursday, October 24, 2024.
