This book investigates urbanormativity—a concept that privileges urban normalcy and desirability over rural deviance and undesirability. The “reality” section outlines its foundations—urbanization, urban-rural systems, and urban dependency. The “representation” section explores urbanormative culture by considering cultural capital, media, and identity. The last section, “everyday life,” examines urban-rural disparities in law and politics and in life within different communities. It concludes by calling for a rural justice approach that will revalue the rural.

"

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.

"

Urbanormativity is suited well for undergraduate students who have had limited exposure to rural scholarship. It is a useful introductory book that outlines a central issue of urban–rural dynamics, without relying on previous knowledge of this field or concept. The book is written in an easily accessible and well-organized way, and would serve an undergraduate class well. It takes the concept of urbanormativity and applies it to a variety of fields—politics, law, media—while also incorporating current examples and issues, making it a useful book to expose undergraduate students to rural sociology and the issue of urbanormativity.