In this collection, researchers analyze rural societies, economies, and governance in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia through the lens of rights and citizenship, across such varied domains as education, employment, and health. The provocative concept of a “right to be rural” illuminates not only the challenges faced by rural communities worldwide, but also underappreciated facets of community resilience in the face of these challenges. The book’s central question—“is there a right to be rural?”—offers insights into how these communities are created, maintained, and challenged. The authors illustrate that citizenship rights have a spatial character, and that this observation is critical to studying and understanding rural life in the twenty-first century. Scholars and policymakers concerned with the health and well-being of rural communities will be interested in this book.

Contributors: Ray Bollman, Clement Chipenda, Innocent Chirisa, Logan Cochrane, Pallavi Das, Laura Domingo-Peñafiel, Laura Farré-Riera, Jens Kaae Fisker, Karen R. Foster, Lesley Frank, Greg Hadley, Stacey Haugen, Jennifer Jarman, Kathleen Kevany, Eshetayehu Kinfu, Al Lauzon, Katie MacLeod, Jeofrey Matai, Ilona Matysiak, Kayla McCarney, Rachel McLay, Egon Noe, Howard Ramos, Katja Rinne-Koski, Sulevi Riukulehto, Sarah Rudrum, Ario Seto, Nuria Simo-Gil, Peggy Smith, Sara Teitelbaum, Annette Aagaard Thuesen, Tom Tom, Ashleigh Weeden, Satenia Zimmermann

Karen Foster is Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Rural Futures for Atlantic Canada and an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at Dalhousie University.

Karen R. Foster's profile page

Jennifer Jarman is Professor and Chair of Interdisciplinary Studies at Lakehead University.

Jennifer Jarman's profile page

“The Right to Be Rural is a formidable beginning to problematizing and unpacking rural life, creating a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities that lie before rural citizens. International scholars spell out meaningful strategies to stem the tide of community loss as they look at issues of digital citizenship, housing, and resources in Canada, Denmark, Ethiopia, Finland, India, Poland, and Zimbabwe.” Fabrizio Antonelli, Mount Allison University

"The Right to Be Rural lays a foundation for advocating rural rights in the digital era, one in which community participation is central to policy formation. Its thorough analysis and practical recommendations make it a valuable asset for advancing rural studies and strengthening rural communities’ leadership." Paul G. Murphy, American Review of Canadian Studies, July 2024

“In this excellent collection for rural development scholars, practitioners, and policymakers, contributors focus on issues such as climate change, neoliberal social and economic policies, economic globalization, restructuring and de-industrialization, population ageing and outmigration, food security, and sovereignty.” Ataharul Chowdhury, School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, University of Guelph