I attended the annual meeting of the Rural Sociological Society this week in Manchester, NH. They kept me busy, which is one reason for the low activity on the blog in recent days. The meeting, my first, was a terrific, stimulating experience. What a great group of diverse scholars (sociologists of course, but also demographers, economists, cultural studies scholars, educators) who seem so genuinely committed not only to their careers as scholars and to the accumulation of knowledge, but also to informing policy making that will improve the lot of rural people and places. Indeed, "public sociology" was the theme of the conference.
These scholars' commitment to rural livelihoods was palpable, and it was terrific to talk about my own work to folks with such a high baseline of knowledge about rurality. In that regard, among others, it was very different from talking to other legal scholars. I learned so much that will inform my own work and, I hope, a few blog posts over the coming weeks.
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Lisa,
I'm glad that you enjoyed the conference! We tend to be a down-to-earth bunch, for the most part. I was only able to briefly attend to present a paper on my dissertation topic: Modern Homesteaders in the U.S. and abroad. This blog is fantastic! What a great resource for your students. I will also have my students read this blog for a rural sociology course I am teaching in the Fall. It is encouraging indeed to see so many people, and bloggers who are concerned with spatial inequalities, rural issues, and realism in rural affairs and development.
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