First published in 1980, The Rural Sociology of the Advanced Societies presents, on an international scale, diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives, and includes the work of scholars who have played major roles in the development of rural sociology.The contributors, from many Western nations, focus on all aspects of rural sociology, including the processes of cultural transformation, agriculture, labor, rural underdevelopment, rural poverty, land use planning and environmental problems, with particular emphasis on agricultural policy. The editors provide an overview of the important changes that were taking place in rural sociology at the time and have organised these readings, most of them published for the first time, in a way that facilitates comparative analysis.