Rural Geography Revision Notes

Revision: Base Topics

  • Crucial context includes understanding:
    • Rurality
    • Agricultural Change
    • Population Change
    • Rural Others
    • Conflicts
    • Land-use Planning
    • Post-productivist Countryside

Six Recurring Themes

1. Is there a (significant) ‘rural geography’?

  • Clout (1972) initiated a revival in the sub-discipline of rural geography.
  • The definition and significance of ‘rural’ today needs to be addressed.
  • How is ‘rural Britain’ different from ‘urban Britain’?
  • What factors 'make a difference' versus what is ‘trivial’ in this context?
  • Which geographical categories are ‘meaningful’ when studying rural geography?

2. Rural Change

  • The ‘rural idyll’ concept exists, but:
    • Its ‘timelessness’ is misleading.
    • Its ‘timelessness’ is ideological.
    • Rural practices, representations, and lives are constantly changing.
  • Key relative shift: from production (agriculture) to consumption (residence / leisure).
  • Principal drivers of change: farmers, counter-urbanisers, the state, and environmentalists.

3. Role of the State

  • The state plays a key role, especially via policy and planning.
  • Key interventions have been made since 1945.
  • Questions to consider:
    • How much is the state's role recognised?
    • Which changes has the state caused?
    • Which changes/issues has the state responded to?
  • Post-1979 change of emphasis (stimulated by Thatcher).
  • Relatively similar emphases across different governments: Conservative, New Labour, ConDem, Con, Lab(?).
  • The state seeks especially to manage conflicts, e.g., housing, land use.

4. Differences in Rural Experiences

  • Focus on the lives of those in rural areas.
    • There is no single story applicable everywhere.
  • Influence of postmodernism & cultural turn.
  • Neglected rural geographies (Philo 1992).
  • Considerations:
    • Class, age, gender, ethnicity, ability, sexuality, politics.
  • Geographical contrasts: national, sub-national.
  • Suitability of single perspectives/policies? May be too modernist.
  • Recent revanchist turn?

5. Conflicts in the Rural Environment

  • Conflicts exist between:
    • Agriculture vs. leisure vs. employment vs. conservation vs. social needs.
  • Locals vs. newcomers (‘classic’ divide).
  • Conflicts exist over:
    • Farming, housing development, access rights.
  • Reflection of deeper divides in society?
  • Are conflicts resolvable? Or at least manageable?
  • Resurgent via new priorities after Brexit, COVID-19, Ukraine War.

6. Post-Productivism?

  • Shift from a singular to a plural vision of rural areas.
  • The rural is not a passive, fixed ‘thing’ eroded/destroyed by industry/urban/global influences.
  • ‘Post-rural’ (Murdoch & Pratt 1993): rural areas are there for the making.
  • New challenges ahead, including the place of ‘food production’.
  • Will we take a green/rewilding or/& a neo-productivist pathway?
  • Contemporary Rural Britain is very much alive!

Basic Examination Reminders

  • Provide two full answers.
  • Structure: Beginning – Middle – End (always conclude).
  • Use Paragraphs.
  • Evidence of extra reading (especially names).
  • Can’t revise everything, but don’t be too narrow: test knowledge by looking at the last 5 years’ questions on Canvas.