Poverty, social inequality and rural studies

Social inequality and power imbalances exist within rural societies, and these have been explored in rural studies from the outset. Two frameworks are suggested for developing new understandings of rural poverty, social inequality and disadvantage, namely, an elaboration of the concept of social exclusion, following Polanyi, and the use of Bourdieusian class analysis. Elaborating the concept of social exclusion to focus on changes in the sources of support available to households helps reveal the connections between individual experiences and broader processes, while also revealing emergent agency on the part of rural residents and highlighting issues around civil society and community empowerment. Bourdieusian class analysis encourages us to investigate the reflexive and localized nature of class-formation, and the role of class-infused constructions of place and rurality in the accumulation of assets and in relations of exploitation. Each of these approaches requires recognition of place as a vital element of intersectionality.