Rural Race and Ethnicity Research and Interest Group Centering race and ethnicity in the study of rural people and places
What We’re About
The Rural Racial and Ethnic Minorities Research Interest Group brings together scholars, practitioners, and community advocates committed to deepening the understanding of race and ethnicity within rural contexts. We explore how systems of power, inequality, and historical legacies shape the lived experiences, opportunities, and challenges faced by racially and ethnically diverse groups in rural areas—both in the U.S. and globally.
Our mission is to create an inclusive scholarly space where critical, intersectional, and community-engaged research is supported and amplified. The RIG values perspectives that examine rural life through the lenses of racial justice, equity, and systemic transformation, with the goal of influencing research, teaching, policy, and practice.
Annual Dues:
Regular Members – $10
Student Members – $5
Get Involved:
Attend our sessions and networking events at the RSS Annual Meeting
Participate in planning discussions or propose new activities
Contact our leadership team to get connected
What We Do and How to Get Involved
The Rural Race and Ethnicity RIG supports research and dialogue that place race and ethnicity at the center of rural studies. We:
Organize sessions at the RSS Annual Meeting that highlight the experiences, contributions, and challenges of rural racial and ethnic minority communities.
Encourage and support research grounded in intersectionality, community engagement, and social justice frameworks.
Foster collaboration among scholars, practitioners, students, and activists across disciplines and career stages.
Provide mentorship and leadership opportunities, especially for scholars from underrepresented backgrounds and those conducting equity-centered research.
To get involved, join the RIG through your RSS membership. Attend our sessions and business meeting at the RSS Annual Meeting, propose panels or papers, and contribute to shaping future initiatives that advance racial and ethnic equity in rural research and policy.
Leadership:
📰 News and Announcements
📚 Selected Publications and Resources
Explore work from our members and resources on rural sociology:
- Fee Simple Failures: Rural Landscapes and Race
- Heirs Property, Critical Race Theory, and Reparations
Emancipatory Empiricism: The Rural Sociology of W.E.B. Du Bois
- Depopulation, Deaths, Diversity, and Deprivation: The 4Ds of Rural Population Change
- Urbanization and the Paradox of Rural Population Decline: Racial and Regional Variation
- Opportunity and Place: Latino Children and America’s Future
- The uneven impact of Medicaid expansion on rural and urban
Black, Latino/a, and White mortality - The Local Welfare State and Differences in Racialized Poverty
- The Dark Side of Agency: A Life Course Exploration of Agency among White Rural and Impoverished Residents of New York State
- Latina/os, Locality, and Law in Rural South
- Race and Rurality Consideration for Advancing Higher Education Equity
- Becoming Academically Eligible: University Enrollment among First-Generation, Rural College Goers