Showing papers in "Rural Sociology in 2009"

A Theory of Access.

Abstract: The term "access" is frequently used by property and natural resource analysts without adequate definition. In this paper we develop a concept of access and examine a broad set of factors that differentiate access from property. We define access as "the ability to derive benefits from things," broadening from property's clas- sical definition as "the right to benefit from things." Access, following this definition, is more akin to "a bundle of powers" than to property's notion of a "bundle of rights." This formulation includes a wider range of social relationships that constrain or enable benefits from resource use than property relations alone. Using this fram- ing, we suggest a method of access analysis for identifying the constellations of means, relations, and processes that enable various actors to derive benefits from re- sources. Our intent is to enable scholars, planners, and policy makers to empirically "map" dynamic processes and relationships of access.

The Influence of Family and Community Social Capital on Educational Achievement

Abstract: It is increasingly recognized that families and communities are important in helping youths develop the knowledge and skills they need to obtain technologically sophisticated jobs, which are an emerging part of the global economy. In this paper we adopt social capital as a frame- work for examining the influence of family and community on promoting educational achievement among public school students. We explore more fully the role of community social capital in influencing educational per- formance beyond that attributed to family social capital. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Survey (NELS), we find that both process and structural attributes of family social capital are key factors af- fecting high school students' educational achievement. Process and struc- tural attributes of community social capital also help youths to excel, though they contribute less strongly to achievement. These findings sug- gest that policies designed to promote educational achievement must ex- tend beyond the school and must seek to strengthen social capital in the family and the community. Increasing evidence indicates that our nation's economic well-being is linked directly to three factors: our capability to be participate ac- tively in the global economy, our ability to incorporate information technology into the workplace, and our capacity to develop a labor force with the knowledge and skills necessary to operate in an in- creasingly complex and dynamic work environment ( Judy and D'Amico 1997; Katz 1992:30-35). Probably the last of these three elements, an educated and skilled pool of workers, is the key fea- ture supporting our nation's effort to progress in the technologi- cally sophisticated global environment.

“Culture Clash'' Revisited: Newcomer and Longer‐Term Residents' Attitudes Toward Land Use, Development, and Environmental Issues in Rural Communities in the Rocky Mountain West*

Abstract: Many rural communities in the Rocky Mountain West with high amenity values have experienced substantial in-migration in the 1990s. Popular media accounts and some social science literature suggest that newcomers have very different values than longer-term residents regarding environment, growth, and development issues, and that these differences are resulting in widespread social conflict. We evaluate these “culture clash” and “gangplank” hypotheses using survey data from three rural communities in the Rocky Mountain West that are experiencing amenity-related in-migration. We examine attitudes about environmental concern, population growth, economic development, and tourism development. Results indicate that newcomers differ significantly from longer-term residents on a number of sociodemographic dimensions, but either there are no significant attitude differences between the two groups, or, where difference exist, longer-term residents wish more strongly than newcomers to limit population growth and development in their communities. We offer explanations for why the results differ from media accounts and from the earlier research observations and hypotheses.

Rurality, Institutional Disadvantage, and Achievement/Attainment*

Abstract: Students living in rural areas of the United States exhibit lower levels of educational achievement and a higher likelihood of dropping out of high school than do their nonrural counterparts. In this paper we extend the literature by offering a framework in which resources influencing achievement/attainment are viewed as embedded in, and varying across, rural and nonrural places because of differences in structures of local opportunity. We draw from the National Educational Longitudinal Survey and the Common Core of Data, and employ hierarchical linear and hierarchical logistic modeling techniques to test our ideas. Rural adolescents are disadvantaged in regard to those family and school resources which are conducive to educational success. These resources translate into important educational investments at both family and school levels, and explain rural deficits in both attainment and standardized achievement. We discuss the implications of our findings for analyses of rural deprivation and inequality specifically, and for educational processes and the spatial patterning of stratification in general.

Examining the Effects of Community Satisfaction and Attachment on Individual Well‐Being*

Abstract: Using data collected in a general population survey from a random sample of individuals in four communities in Pennsylvania, I examine the effects of community satisfaction and attachment on self-assessed individual well-being. I find substantial support for the hypothesis that satisfaction with the community and attachment to the community are associated independently and positively with individual well-being. Bivariate and multiple correlation/regression analyses reveal that greater community satisfaction and attachment result in higher levels of perceived well-being. Although the total explained variances of the community satisfaction and attachment measures are small, they do not differ substantially from various social and demographic factors that have been found to be associated with well-being. I propose possible implications of these findings and make suggestions for future research.

Misrepresenting Communities: The Politics of Community‐Based Rural Ecotourism in Gales Point Manatee, Belize1

Abstract: Missoula, Montana 59812-5184 ABSTRACT While the celebration of community in conservation provides legitimization to contest centrist and coercive protected area management strategies, representations of community in resource management writings and in particular strategies such as ecotourism, are often based on sim- plistic images and generic models that ignore politics. Based on research in a community-based rural ecotourism project in Gales Point Manatee, Belize, from 1992-1998, the paper provides concrete examples of how the politics of class, gender, and patronage inequities limit the co-manage- ment of ecotourism associations, equitable distribution of ecotourism in- come, and support for conservation regulations across the community. At- tention to multiple interests and identities within the rural community and their relationships to external actors, political institutions, and na- tional policies are critical to understanding the challenges facing commu- nity-based conservation in Belize and demonstrated the relevance of such

The Glass Phallus: Pub(lic) Masculinity and Drinking in Rural New Zealand*

Abstract: In this article I report the findings of an ethnographic study of men's pub drinking in rural New Zealand. By using the idea of hegemonic masculinity and incorporating theoretical ideas of gender performativity, the analysis focuses on aspects of drinking performance that are central to the establishment of hegemony by a particular version of masculinity in this community. Two important characteristics of pub drinking performance are conversational cockfighting and the disciplines of drinking. These combine to ensure that a particular version of masculinity, here called pub(lic) masculinity, is able to reproduce itself. A further finding is that masculinity in this kind of performative situation develops a degree of invisibility. Using the metaphor of the "glass phallus," I engage with the difficulties of analyzing an invisible masculinity and argue that rendering masculinity visible is an important task for any sociological analysis of both public leisure sites in rural society and the embodied performance of alcohol consumption by men in public spaces. Language: en

Rural-Urban Differences in Environmental Concern in Canada.

Abstract: Distinctions between rural and urban populations are well documented in environmental sociology literature. Rural and urban places may exert different influences on participation in environmentally supportive behavior (ESB) as well as on other forms of environmental concern (EC). The influence of these distinct geographies may be due to present circumstances or because of childhood socialization in these places. Using data from a national survey in Canada (n51 664), we use cognitive (basic values, environmental worldview, and environmental attitude) and behavioral indicators (public and private sphere) of EC to explore differences among rural and urban populations and we include analyses accounting for place of socialization. We extend the conventional private sphere category of ESB by including stewardship behaviors. Results showed few differences between rural and urban residents on indicators of EC. Rural residents, however, scored higher on altruistic values, placed a higher priority on the environment, and reported higher participation in recycling and stewardship behaviors. Analysis that included place of socialization showed differences on environmental worldview, basic values, and some ESB. In terms of ESB, we conclude that residence and place of socialization may be less of a factor than opportunity and highlight the importance of providing services and facilities. We recommend future research on residence and ESB include a variety of behaviors that reflect opportunities for both rural and urban residents.

Growth, Decline, Stability, and Disruption: A Longitudinal Analysis of Social Well‐Being in Four Western Rural Communities

Abstract: During the 1970s and 1980s, social scientists focused considerable attention on patterns of community change in boomtowns affected by large-scale energy resource development in the western United States. The resulting literature has provided inconsistent and relatively inconclusive evidence about the extent of various forms of social disruption caused by the rapid economic and demographic changes associated with such developments. In particular, because of a lack of in-depth longitudinal research, little is known about the degree to which social problems observed during rapid growth periods in such locations may persist after the boom. This research addresses some of those questions through a longitudinal examination of various dimensions of social well-being in four western rural communities. Community surveys conducted four times across a 13-year span provide data on patterns of change for 10 distinct indicators of social well-being. Results show that although social disruptions occur in several dimensions of well-being during boom periods, not all dimensions appear to be affected by such growth. Also, when boom-induced declines in well-being occur, they are consistently followed by a sharp rebound, with no evidence of lasting disruption.

Making Men: The Construction and Representation of Agriculture-Based Masculinities in Australia and New Zealand*

Abstract: Gender analyses of farming have become well established in rural sociological literature. In recent years, however, increasing attention has been given to the discursive processes influencing gender relations and identities. In the current paper I continue this trend by exploring how a range of key agriculture-related masculinities are constructed and articulated in Australia and New Zealand. First, a conceptual discussion identifies the need to consider discourse and creation of knowledge and truths about masculinity. An outline of the research is provided. Then I report on two broad fields in which masculinity is constructed, namely the farm arena and industry politics. Finally, I make closing comments in relation to the possibility of alternative genderings of agriculture. Language: en

Civic Community in Small-Town America: How Civic Welfare Is Influenced by Local Capitalism and Civic Engagement*

Abstract: The aims of this paper are twofold: first, to gain a fuller understanding of factors that foster community cohesion and contribute to the residents' social and economic well-being; and, second, to move beyond previous research that used larger spatial units such as states, counties, or aggregates of counties and to focus instead on American small towns (population 2,500–20,000). The data on small towns are drawn from public-use files and from confidential microdata from various economic censuses. From these sources we construct measures of locally oriented firms, self-employment, business establishments that serve as gathering places, and associations. The local capitalism and civic engagement variables generally perform as hypothesized; in some cases they are related quite strongly to civic welfare outcomes such as income levels, poverty rates, and nonmigration rates. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working with place-level data and suggest some strategies for subsequent work on small towns and other incorporated places.

Poor People in Poor Places: Local Opportunity Structures and Household Poverty*

Abstract: Accounts of poverty generally fall into either “individualist” or “structuralist” camps. Often these are seen as irreconcilable and incompatible competing perspectives. This paper integrates individualist and structuralist accounts of poverty by examining the relationship between “person poverty” and “place poverty” in nonmetropolitan and metropolitan labor markets, using a multilevel framework. I fashion a general model of poverty production and allocation, drawing on the labor market ecology perspective. After a discussion of this perspective, I develop a multilevel framework for analyzing data from the 1990 Census PUMS-L sample, STF-3c, and other sources to show how compositional and contextual factors affect households' likelihoods of being in poverty. These multilevel models also allow us to estimate the degree to which labor market conditions influence the magnitude of household labor supply characteristics. Results suggest that both compositional and contextual factors contribute to the metro-nonmetro difference in poverty rates, and that the effects of employment vary in accordance with labor market characteristics.

Social Capital and Participation in Community Improvement Activities by Elderly Residents in Small Towns and Rural Communities

Abstract: This study critically reviews theoretical concepts and measurements of social capital and tests hypotheses that elaborate how four dimensions of social capital (informal social ties, formal social ties, trust, and norms of collective action) and sense of community are related to participation in community improvement activities for elderly residents in small towns and rural communities. Mail surveys of 2,802 elders in 99 small towns and rural communities in Iowa reveal that many elders are actively involved in their community. Social capital and sense of community are very important in predicting elderly participation in community improvement activities, but they relate differently to elderly community involvement. Formal ties and sense of community have much stronger relationships with community involvement than informal ties and norms of collective action. Generalized trust is not significantly related to elderly community involvement. Language: en

Food Security: The Elaboration of Contested Claims to a Consensus Frame*

Abstract: This article demonstrates Gamson's claim that behind the apparent agreement implied by ''consensus frames'' lies considerable dissensus. Ironically, the very potency of consensus frames may generate contested claims to the ownership of a social problem. Food security is a potent consensus frame that has generated at least three distinct collective action frames: food security as hunger; food security as a component of a community's developmental whole; and food security as minimizing risks with respect to an industrialized food system's vulnerability to both ''normal accidents'' as well as the ''intentional accidents'' associated with agriterrorism. We show that each collective action frame reflects internal normative variation identified here with Goffman's ''keying'' concept. These keys suggest power differentials in the endorsement or critique of dominant institutional practices. Each frame and associated keys reflect distinct sets of interests by collective actors, such as demands for substantively different applications of science and technology. The prognostic framing of the community food security movement coinci- dentally holds potential for reducing not only the accidental risks of productivist agriculture but also the uncertainty induced by the risk of terrorist exploitation of those vulnerabilities. The article explores power differentials and variable levels of oppositional consciousness as mechanisms by which keys generate contentious politics within frames while serving as potential bridges between frames. This contested ownership of food security has implications for the associated movements' and organizations' capacity to influence the structure of the agrifood system as well as the broader socioeconomic organization of rural regions.

The question of rural masculinities

Abstract: By way of introduction to this special issue on rural masculini- ties, we provide an overview of masculinity studies, emphasizing the influ- ential work of Robert W. Connell on hegemonic masculinity . We go on to distinguish between two main avenues of rural inquiry in masculinity stud- ies : studies of the masculine in the rural and studies of the rural in the masculine, or what we also term the masculine rural and the rural mascu- line . We apply this distinction to the six contributions to this special issue, showing how most of the papers maintain a kind of dialogue between the two . We conclude by arguing that studies of rural masculinities are a con- tribution rather than an alternative to feminist scholarship in the rural so- cial sciences, and that the topic of rural masculinities provides rural schol- arship with opportunities for conducting research in other disciplines. Rural masculinity is hardly a typical topic of rural social science . In- deed, it is a somewhat uncomfortable subject . Probably almost all of those few researchers who have conducted work on rural mas- culinity can report awkward moments of trying to explain to friends, family members, research participants, and even colleagues what it is and why social scientists would want to conduct studies on it . There is something unexpected, faintly disturbing, occasionally humorous, and not a little suspicious in investigating that which we have always seen and yet have overlooked so often. This special issue may not make rural masculinity-or, more ap- propriately, rural masculinities-any less awkward a research topic. That awkwardness, however, should suggest to us something of the political and moral charge of the social boundaries that the topic both highlights and helps to transcend . At any rate, identifying so- cial boundaries and providing the analytic apparatus for their po- tential social transcendence are the principal goals of the research represented in this issue of Rural Sociology. This special issue came about through one of those chance en- counters that one hopes for at professional meetings, and some- times actually experiences . (In this case the encounter was medi- ated by a third party, Greg Peter, who suggested that we contact * The work on this special issue was shared equally, but rather than contribute to alphabetical hegemony we list our names in alternate order as editors of this special issue and as authors of this introduction . Address correspondence to Hugh Camp- bell, hugh .campbell@otago .ac .nz or Michael M. Bell, mikebell@iastate .edu

Coming back across the fence : Masculinity and the transition to sustainable agriculture

Abstract: In this paper we explore the social construction of agricultural masculinity and its role in the transition to sustainable agriculture . We draw our evidence from a participatory qualitative study comparing mem- bers of the sustainable agriculture group Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) with their non-PFI neighbors . On the non-PFI farms, men more often rep- resented what we call monologic masculinity,a conventional masculinity with rigid and polarized gender expectations and strictly negotiated perfor- mances that make a clear distinction between men's and women's activi- ties . The male farmers belonging to PFI, on the other hand, more often represented what we call dialogic masculinity, characterized by different measures for work and success than in monologic masculinity, less need for control over nature, and greater social openness . Although both are present to some extent in all male participants, we argue that acceptance of a more dialogic masculinity helps promote the transition to sustainable agriculture. It's a typical late-spring morning in the Iowa heartland . The fore- cast is for the high sixties and sunshine, a welcome break from the

Social Psychological and Structural Influences on Vegetarian Beliefs

Abstract: This study examines the link between social structural variables (gender, race, education, age, rural childhood), individual social psychology (altruism, self-interest, traditionality, and openness to change), and beliefs about the benefits of vegetarianism (for health, the environment, animals, and world hunger) and self-reported vegetarianism . Data from a random sample of 420 adult U.S. residents showed that 5 .2 percent considered themselves vegetarian . The strongest predictor of vegetarianism as a di- etary choice was the belief that vegetarianism is beneficial to the environ- ment . None of the social structural variables had a direct influence on vegetarianism as a dietary choice . Of the four values studied, only altru- ism and traditional values influenced beliefs about the benefits of vege- tarianism . Altruistic values increased, and traditional values decreased, be- liefs that vegetarianism is beneficial to health, the environment, farm animals, and world hunger . Blacks were more likely than Whites to adhere to the beliefs that vegetarianism helps prevent cruelty to farm animals, is beneficial to personal health, and is beneficial to the environment . The

Social disorganization theory and the contextual nature of crime in nonmetropolitan counties

Abstract: This research explores violent and property crime rates in nonmetropolitan counties. It is argued that crime rates are lower in these counties because of higher levels of social integration. We test the hypothesis that predictors of crime from social disorganization theory exert different effects on violent and property crimes at different levels of population change in nonmetropolitan counties. We use a spatial lag regression model to predict the 1989–1991 average violent and property crime rates for these counties, taken from the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR). The results show that a factor-analyzed index of resource disadvantage (poverty rate, income inequality, unemployment, percent female-headed households) has different effects on both violent and property crime at different levels of population change in nonmetropolitan counties. Contrary to expectations, we find that resource disadvantage exerts a greater positive effect on both violent and property crimes in nonmetropolitan counties that lost population between 1980 and 1990. Implications for theory and research are discussed.

Poverty in nonmetropolitan America: impacts of industrial, employment, and family structure variables.

Abstract: Poverty is more extensive and more severe in nonmetropolitan areas than in metropolitan areas. Here we maintain that the extensive industrial and economic transformations occurring in rural areas have resulted in patterns contributing to these high poverty levels. These transformations, which include an increase in service-sector employment, in many ways mirror the economic changes that have occurred in the inner city. We maintain that Wilson's model of the inner-city underclass can be useful in understanding some poverty trends in nonmetropolitan areas. To test the Wilson model, we analyze 1990 census data. The data generally support the model and indicate that the industrial transformation of rural areas leads to changes in the gender structure of the labor force, and to a more unbalanced sex ratio. These changes, in turn, result in adjustments to family structure, including an increase in the percentage of female-headed households. This process results in higher poverty levels.

Warrior Heroes and Little Green Men: Soldiers, Military Training, and the Construction of Rural Masculinities*

Abstract: In this paper I examine military masculinities as a form of rural masculinity. I argue that one model of military masculinity, the warrior hero, acts as a dominant military construction of masculinity. I examine how the countryside as a location, and rurality as a social construction, impinge upon the construction of the ideal type of the warrior hero. The paper draws on recruitment literature, Ministry of Defence publicity materials, popular accounts of soldiering, and Army videos to trace out the practices and representations that construct the dominant discourse of the warrior hero. The paper is grounded conceptually in theories of gender identity and rurality as social constructions. I conclude by questioning the political consequences, both for rural life and for the armed forces, of this hegemonic model of masculinity.

A Political Ecology of Shrimp Aquaculture in Thailand1

Abstract: This paper uses themes from political ecology to develop insights into the billion dollar shrimp aquaculture sector in Thailand. We find that corporations can exercise only limited control over shrimp production and that there is no clear trend toward larger operations. We explain the continued viability of small owner-operated farms by looking at how shrimp farming is located in physical and social space, and at the ability of owner-operators to work within the highly unstable socio-ecological processes of shrimp production. We also find that shrimp farming has induced a spatially-uneven increase in state territorial regulation. The spatial distribution of regulation is shaped by differences in how landscapes become politicized, and the degree of jurisdictional clarity. We conclude that industry self-regulation has limited prospects for containing the social and environmental problems of shrimp farming in Thailand, but that expanded state regulation that mobilizes the participation of local people might be effective.

Food deserts and overweight schoolchildren: evidence from Pennsylvania.

Abstract: The concept of the food desert, an area with limited access to retail food stores, has increasingly been used within social scientific and public health research to explore the dimensions of spatial inequality and community well-being. While research has demonstrated that food deserts are frequently characterized by higher levels of poverty and food insecurity, there has been relatively little research examining the relationship between food deserts and obesity, particularly in rural areas. In this article we use Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to identify food desert areas in rural Pennsylvania. We then analyze student body mass index (BMI) data along with census and school district-level data to determine the extent to which the percentage of a school district's population residing within a food desert is positively associated with increased incidence of child overweight among students within the district. We find that school districts with higher percentages of populations located within food deserts are more likely to be structurally and economically disadvantaged. Net of these district-level structural and economic characteristics, we additionally find a positive relationship between increased rates of child overweight and the percentage of the district population residing in a food desert.

Innovating Conservation Agriculture: The Case of No‐Till Cropping

Abstract: The extensive sociological studies of conservation agriculture have provided considerable understanding of farmers' use of conservation practices, but attempts to develop predictive models have failed. Reviews of research findings question the utility of the conceptual and methodological perspectives of prior research. The argument advanced here is that actor-network theory is useful in analyzing conservation agriculture as a radically different agriculture: a new paradigm with new beliefs about soils, plants, the environment, and farmers themselves as well as new crop production systems. The new indigenous cultures of conservation tillage and cropping are innovative products of social networks that join farmland, farmers, farm advisors, and farm supply representatives in new ways. The spread of conservation agriculture has occurred as the result both of new agricultural science of conservation tillage and cropping and the spread of these new networks and their innovative cropping systems.

From Hometown to Nontown: Rural Community Effects of Suburbanization

Abstract: Regional suburbanization processes are transforming rural America socially and physically, threatening the uniqueness of small towns whose diversity is a national resource. This article reviews existing holistic descriptions of American rural communities since post-World War II by rural sociologists and anthropologists. Three new community case studies are briefly sketched—one “agrarian” in slow decline, another “postagrarian” where suburbanization is overwhelming agrarian traits, and a third that combines elements of both. With suburbanization, transformation into a generic nontown with the loss of place attachment and community identity is argued to have particularly negative effects for youth, whose socialization becomes privatized as parental civic engagement and general adult watchfulness decline. These changes constitute a community effect for rural youth analogous to the neighborhood effect richly documented by urban sociologists for inner-city youth. The suburbanization challenge is for small towns to resist homogenization of the vital aspects of agrarian community life they most cherish.

Continuity and change in rural migration patterns, 1950-1995

Abstract: During the past several decades, rural America has experienced turbulent demographic change. We examine rural age-specific migration data for 1950 to 1995 to ascertain whether the numerous economic, social, and technological factors buffeting nonmetropolitan America have altered migration patterns across age groups and types of counties. Both continuity and change are evident in the analysis. We find differentiation in the migration profiles of certain specialized types of rural counties, as well as temporal variability from decade to decade. No clear longitudinal trend in migration patterns is present, however. In fact, an underlying continuity in age-specific trends has endured through good times and bad.

Social Isolation and Lethal Violence Across the Metro/Nonmetro Divide: The Effects of Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Poverty Concentration on Homicide*

Abstract: This study extends the macro-level criminological research tradition by examining the links between socioeconomic disadvantage, poverty concentration, and homicide in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan U.S. counties. Most research in this tradition has tested structural theories using urban areas as the unit of analysis. This “urban bias” has resulted in a limited understanding of the social forces driving violence in nonmetropolitan areas. To partially address this problem, we link the literature on the spatial and social organization of nonmetropolitan communities with the social isolation perspective from the urban poverty literature. We hypothesize that the spatial concentration of poverty drives up rates of homicide in both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas regardless of levels of socioeconomic disadvantage. Negative binomial regression for 1,746 nonmetropolitan and 778 metropolitan counties suggest that both socioeconomic disadvantage and poverty concentration elevate homicide in metropolitan areas. However, in nonmetropolitan counties only socioeconomic disadvantage has a significant impact. We conclude by discussing the implications of these differential findings for the social isolation perspective.

Writing the New West: A Critical Review.

Abstract: A vast and growing interdisciplinary research effort has focused on the rise of the so-called New West, purportedly the product of regional socioeconomic, political, and ecological upheavals in states like Montana and Colorado. Reviewing the growing research on this problem in sociology, economics, geography, and conservation science, this article identifies four central questions at the core of this diverse scholarship. Our review demonstrates that none of these central questions has generated consensus conclusions and that there is untapped potential for more structurally robust analyses of the drivers and outcomes of rapid change in the region. Indeed, supporting other analyses that have called the consistency of the region into question, our survey suggests the ways in which this region is not unique, but largely reflective of larger scale socioecological forces playing out in similar ways around the postindustrial world. We conclude, therefore, with a series of crucial questions, which may be unanswerable by assuming the “New West” as a coherent geography.

The Dark Side of the Force: A Case Study of Restructuring and Social Capital1

Abstract: This paper uses a case study of a Southern textile community to show how a distinct form of social capital is embedded in local networks of power and domination. Textile firms and communities in the South have undergone restructuring: technology and labor processes have modernized, firms have merged, consolidated, or closed, and the number of workers has declined. An analysis of Cannon Mills and its associated mill community of Kannapolis identifies the sources of the paternalist form of social capital that dominated work and community social relations. Corporate mergers, downsizing, technological change, shifts in the labor market, municipal incorporation, and labor organizing contributed to the transformation and decline of paternalistic social capital. The case study reminds social scientists that social capital is a context dependent form of power that can be created, accumulated, or destroyed. While many current analyses treat social capital as an unquestioned positive force, the case study reveals the dark side of social capital.

Farm Boys and Wild Men: Rurality, Masculinity, and Homosexuality*

Abstract: In this paper I explore cultural constructions of "rural gay masculinity," focusing first on the stereotype of the "rustic sodomite" seen in a number of Hollywood movies; second, on the construction of an idyllic Eden in the gay imaginary; and third, on gendered and sexualized performances among members of the men's movement and the "radical fairies." In doing so, I suggest how the rural/urban divide is meshed, in complex and distinct ways, with homosexual/heterosexual and masculine/feminine dichotomies in cultural texts and practices. Set against these representations, of course, are the lives of homosexual men born and raised in the country: I discuss accounts of the lives of "farm boys" as a way of contextualizing and complexifying the dominant modes of representation outlined. In all of these portrayals, "rural gay masculinity" is figured in distinct ways, especially in relation to urban effeminacy. I end by calling for further exploration of these issues in an effort to more fully theorize the cultural meanings and experiences of "rural gay masculinity." Language: en

Hunting and Rural Socialization: Contingent Effects of the Rural Setting on Hunting Participation

Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between rural socialization and hunting participation. Assessments of the cultural significance of hunting as a “way of life” in rural areas echo traditional assertions of the importance of rurality, but do not consider the interplay between rural residence and other variables that affect hunting participation. Although previous research has demonstrated that rural residents are more likely to participate in hunting, as are males and those who are influenced by family, the interaction of these variables is poorly understood. A national survey used a socialization framework to explore the more specific conditions under which rural upbringings were associated with increased hunting participation. Rural upbringings fostered an increase in hunting primarily when the socialization relationship between agent and target was unlikely to do so and when participation was consistent with gender norms: rural males whose fathers did not hunt were more likely to hunt than urban males whose fathers did not. In no other cases did rural upbringings result in an increased propensity for hunting. Therefore we suggest that broad statements about the cultural significance of hunting to rural life be made more cautiously, with the effects of other variables taken into account.