Rural Geography

Michael Woods is Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at the Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Wales, Aberystwyth

′Michael Woods has taken on the formidable task of giving an overview of rural places and society in advanced economies as a single author and has presented a book that rightly deserves to be called state-of-the-art′ - Geographische Rundschau`For those students with an interest in rural change, this "state of the art" book is essential reading - Brian Ilbery, University of Coventry`With Rural Geography Michael Woods remedies the often underestimated dynamism of rural places and rural society by providing the much-needed synthesis of the European and North American literature on rural restructuring and globalization processes′ - Patrick H Mooney, University of Kentucky

• INTRODUCING RURAL GEOGRAPHYDefining the RuralUnderstanding the RuralPART TWO: PROCESSES OF RURAL RESTRUCTURINGGlobalization, Modernity and the Rural WorldAgricultural ChangeThe Changing Rural EconomySocial and Demographic ChangeChanging CommunitiesRestructuring Rural ServicesEnvironmental Change and Rural AreasPART THREE: RESPONSES TO RURAL RESTRUCTURINGRural Policy and the Response to RestructuringRural Development and RegenerationRural GovernanceSelling the CountrysideProtecting the CountrysideRural ConflictsPART FOUR: EXPERIENCES OF RURAL RESTRUCTURINGChanging Rural LifestylesLiving in the CountrysideHousing, Health and CrimeGrowing up and Growing Old in the CountrysideWorking in the CountrysideHidden Rural LifestylesPoverty and Social ExclusionRurality, National Identity and EthnicityAlternative Rural LifestylesPART FIVE: CONCLUSIONThinking again about the Rural