Sociology and Space, No. 73-74, 1981.
Original scientific paper
On the Concept of »Being Rural«
Ruža First
Abstract
How the question of belonging
to the village is sociologically
resolved is essential for the
constitution of the sociology of
the village as a separate scholarly
discipline. We must also ask
whether it is possible to distinctly
determine the »rural« today, when
the village has become so close
to the town. In this dilemma the
author first analyses the
sociological dichotomies
village-town, and then the
indicators of being rural, as
opposed to being urban. It is not
difficult to catalogue many
geographic, demographic, economic,
social, cultural and other
differences between the rural and
the urban population and way
of life. But the sociologically
relevant question is not whether
or not such differences in way
of life and behaviour exist. What
is essential is to prove a
causative link between rurality
and a certain pattern of
interpersonal relations.
The rural region (and the urban
region also) is not just a statistical
or legal set of facts, things and
activities. It is in the first place
a set of social relations, which
express relations that exist in
society as a whole. Thus the
essence of local rural relations
can only be established by linking
the causes and consequences of
certain structural elements,
through which the pheno-types of
a given region are organized. In
that process what is conditioned
by social relations should have
priority over the spatial principle.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
119600
URI
Publication date:
8.12.1981.
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