Sociology Report: An Analysis of Rural Studies and Development

This sociology report examines rural studies, highlighting the significance of natural resources and the transformation of rural societies. It discusses the impact of globalization, social media, and the need for innovative approaches to maintain the well-being of rural populations. The report emphasizes key concepts such as pre-modernity, pastoralism, social constructivism, and socio-demographic approaches. It also addresses the conflicts between rural and urban concepts, referencing studies conducted in the United Kingdom and exploring the diverse meanings attributed to rural space and its symbolic importance. The report references various sources and discusses the developments of rural geography and the functional and political-economy approaches to rural studies.

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
Sociology
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1SOCIOLOGY
Rural studies are known as one of the most interesting aspects in the study of sociology
because of the availability of natural resources in the rural regions of the world. Various social,
economic and environmental factors have been discussed in the international studies in the recent
times because natural issues are indeed associated with the study of rural studies (Shucksmith &
Brown, 2016). The authors of this reading have described the issues of flood and famine in a
detailed manner in the reading. The rural society has transformed in various ways and rural
resources are more exposed in front of the scientists. These resources can surely be utilized for
the overall development of the people in the rural regions. The studies have been done on the
various changes in the rural society, economy and other factors. Some issues that must be kept in
mind while discussing about the rural development. These are social justice, exploration of
energy, prosperity of economy, security of food, human rights and others. In the era of
globalization, rural society has become connected by the blessing of social media. The concepts
of pre-modernity and pastoralism must be understood to know the real nature of rural. Innovative
capabilities should be introduced to maintain the well being of the common people properly.
Approaches of social constructivism and socio-demographic approach must be followed properly
so the rural development can be processed properly (Shucksmith & Brown, 2016). The conflicts
between rural and urban concepts must be mitigated to ensure smooth operations for
development in the society. In the United Kingdom, the social constructivist approaches had
been implemented to justify the rural studies framework.
The meanings of the term ‘rural’ have been provided in the readings. The concept of rural
space has been attributed to the society because of it has connections with the rural economy and
environmental factors (Woods, 2011). The natural resources are found mostly in the rural
regions. These resources can be utilized for the well being of the tribal people in many nations.

2SOCIOLOGY
The diversity between urban and rural must be maintained so the differences can cater to the
overall development. Different meanings have been attributed to the rural space and these
meanings have helped to discover the beauty and wilderness of the rural regions. The symbolic
importance of the rural regions should always represent the country (Woods, 2011). It is a very
controversial geographical matter to understand the difference between the city and country or
the urban and rural. The human communities will be divided or some barriers will be
implemented if the differences between rural and urban are made. The term ‘rural’ is quite
common in some European languages whereas the term ‘countryside’ is used to denote the
concept. In German, the term ‘landschaft’ is used to signify rural society (Woods, 2011). The
developments of the rural geography have been shown in the book by the authors. Apart from the
functional approach of the concept, the political-economy approach has been introduced in this
book. This approach is also used in agriculture and level of rural lives and rural representations
are connected with rural space.

3SOCIOLOGY
References
Abs.gov.au. (2020). 1270.0.55.005 - Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume
5 - Remoteness Structure, July 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2020, from
https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/1270.0.55.005
Abs.gov.au. (2020). Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). Retrieved 14 February
2020, from
https://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/home/Australian+Statistical+Geograp
hy+Standard+(ASGS)
Shucksmith, M., & Brown, D. L. (2016). Framing rural studies in the global north. In Routledge
international handbook of rural studies (pp. 31-56). Routledge.
Woods, M. (2011). Rural. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.