Rural Sociology Group

Info

We teach and do research on a range of topics linked to rurality, food provisioning and place-based development

Geschiedenis

The research programme of the Rural Sociology Group focuses on the complex whole of transformation processes in rural and metropolitan regions and in the food supply chain. In this, specific attention is paid to the different levels (from local to supra-national) at which these transformation processes are shaped and to the different (rural and urban) actors and institutions involved. The Rural Sociology Group studies and analyses these transformation processes from an interpretative/constructivist and predominantly micro-sociological perspective, using different qualitative and quantitative research methods. A common denominator in empirical research, analysis and theoretical development is the focus on differential dynamics and processes of institutionalisation. Research projects of the Rural Sociology Group are often of a multi- or inter-disciplinary nature, embody an international and comparative dimension and are, in many cases, carried out in close collaboration with (organisations of) stakeholders.