Self-Portrait of Contemporary Rural Sociology. Some Thoughts Based on Two Handbooks

Abstract

In this analysis, based on the content of two handbooks, some considerations concerning ways and areas of rural studies have been considered. Both handbooks have been designed as kinds of global analyses. In fact, both of them have been focused on the so-called Global North issues, with a few exemptions concerning Eastern Europe and Latin America. At the same time, there are some differences between both handbooks. While in the first one (published in 2006) some leading theoretical coordinates seem to be of primary importance, in the second one (published in 2016) some more peculiar analyses seem to dominate the whole discourse. Moreover, in the first handbook, the lack of major introduction and conclusion have been quite visible. It means that considerations focused on particular theoretical coordinates have been more autonomous. Quite contrary, in the second handbook, a whole number of quite specific analyses has required some significant remarks prepared by the editors. These differences have led to the conclusion that in the last 10 years rural studies have experienced some important impacts of inter- as well as trans-disciplinarity leading to combinations of various themes and analyses not easily forming more general and autonomous perspectives on rural issues.