America’s rural-urban divide seemingly has never been greater, a point reinforced by large geographic disparities in support for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. But it is also the case that big cities and rural communities are more tightly integrated than ever and are increasingly interdependent, both economically and socially. This new rural-urban interface is highlighted in this collection of articles, which are organized and developed around the general concept of changing symbolic and social boundaries. Rural-urban boundaries—how rural and urban people and places are defined and evaluated—reflect and reinforce institutional forces that maintain spatial inequality and existing social, economic, and political hierarchies. This volume makes clear that rural-urban boundaries are highly fluid and that this should be better reflected in research programs, in the topics that we choose to study, and in the way that public policy is implemented.
A study of the rise in popularity of radio in rural America in the 1920s and the portrayal of farmers in the press during this time. In the effort to promote the general value of radio, the press focused on how it was adopted by farmers. The media exaggerated the shortcomings of farm life, supporting the increasingly urban and modern way of life, and isolating and marginalizing rural dwellers.
