Urbanormativity

Gregory M. Fulkerson is associate professor of sociology at SUNY Oneonta.Alexander R. Thomas is professor and chair of the Department of Sociology at SUNY Oneonta.

• PrefaceIntroduction to UrbanormativityPart I: The Reality Chapter 1: The Urbanizing PlanetChapter 2: Distance and InteractionChapter 3: Urban-Rural Oikos: Economy and EcologyPart II: The RepresentationChapter 4: Cultural Capital and UrbanormativityChapter 5: Population ImaginationChapter 6: Rustic and Urbane IdentityPart III: Everyday LifeChapter 7: Policy and LawChapter 8: Urbanormative CommunitiesChapter 9: A Rural Justice EthicConclusionReferences

This book examines the tensions, both real and imagined, between urban and rural life in a predominantly American context. Fulkerson and Thomas (both, SUNY Oneonta) argue that the urban is conflated with what is normal, hence the eponymous portmanteau “urbanormativity.” Essentially, urbanormativity is part of the ideological fabric of modernity, where urbanization and progress are often viewed as synonymous with one another. Such a worldview, according to the authors, often promotes the interests and values of urbanization at the expense of rural life. This social construction has had damaging social, psychological, economic, and cultural effects on rural living. Drawing attention to these pervasive and overlooked effects is the text's greatest strength. . . this is an interesting study of the rural/urban dichotomy and would be of interest to those who live in the country, the city, or anywhere in between, especially if they are interested in questioning what is normal.Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and faculty.