Pfrenger: Critical Rural Theory’s Influence on Rural Education

In Critical Rural Theory: A Decade of Influence on Rural Education Research author Wendy Pfrenger (Office of Pre-College Programs, University of Mississippi) examines the key elements and influences of Critical Rural Theory in rural education and research.

The article stems from the theoretical framework outlined in the 2011 publication of Thomas et al.’s Critical Rural Theory: Structure, Space, Culture. Dubbed “Critical Rural Theory,” this framework provides an interdisciplinary approach to examining cultural dominance on a rural-to-urban continuum. In particular, Critical Rural Theory argues that the United States operates under an ideology of “urbanormativity,” where the urban dominates culture, politics, and the economy. This urbanormativity, it is argued, is rationalized at all levels of society, from policy down to personal relationships.

Pfrenger argues that the education system provides the most pertinent lens through which to view the influence and development of Critical Rural Theory. She discusses the important and outsized role rural schools hold in their communities, and the power they therefore wield to instill urbanormative beliefs into rural communities. Concepts of Critical Rural Theory have also influenced researchers’ views on the importance of place-based identity and curriculum. These concepts helped researchers identify, for example, the negative impact of school consolidation for rural students. Pfrenger identifies tenets of Rural Critical Theory and urbanormativity reflected in and influencing all levels of the education system.

Ultimately, Pfrenger argues that Critical Rural Theory offers a rich framework for exploring rural education by exposing how conventional research questions about rural education have overlooked the systemic effects of urbanization and the cultural and social wealth of rural communities. The article identifies underexplored paths for further consideration and poses questions for future researchers utilizing Critical Rural Theory, particularly by drawing on its account of how urban hegemony can be perpetuated through the structuring of rural education spaces, including an increasing dependence on apps and tools requiring broadband. The article provides a unique discussion of both current rural research as well as a consideration of how legislators and policymakers can best make use of its findings.