The objectives of the Association are to: foster the development of rural sociology; further the application of sociological inquiry to the improvement of the quality of rural life; and provide a mechanism whereby rural sociologists can generate dialogue and useful exchange.
Ruth McAreavey is Professor of Sociology at Newcastle University. Her research focuses on rural social change and inequalities; migration, research ethics and methodologies. She has published extensively on sustainable rural development and on inequalities faced by migrants in the labour market and in other parts of everyday life. Ruth’s research has been funded by government departments and agencies as well as independent charitable trusts.
Ruth is an active member of various international research networks including the European Society for Rural Sociology (ESRS) and the European Sociological Association. She is an elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and co-editor-in-chief of Sociologia Ruralis. Ruth is proactive in engaging with third sector organisations and with government departments. She is a Trustee of Plunkett UK.
Sergio Schneider is Full Professor of Sociology of Rural Development and Food Studies at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil, where he teaches and research at the Graduate Program of Sociology (PPGS) and Rural Development (PGDR).
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Penn State University has two positions available as Assistant Professor in Rural Sociology. For further details and instructions on how to apply, please click on the links below:
The research network “Space, Society and Rurality” invites to its mid-term conference on 15 and 16 February 2024, at the Public University of Navarra, in Pamplona, Spain. Paper contributions are welcomed, with abstract submission deadline 15th December 2023. Look at the conference website for more information.
Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios Rurales (ReLaER) is an academic journal published biannually since 2016 by the Latin American Association of Rural Sociology (ALASRU) in co-edition with the Center for Labor Studies and Research of the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research of Argentina (CEIL-CONICET). Its purpose is to disseminate knowledge related to rural problems in Latin America; receives original articles in Spanish and Portuguese that predominantly address issues in the field of rural sociology related to social, economic, environmental, and political dimensions of agriculture and the rural milieu of the continent.
The abstract submission deadline for the 2023 Agri-Food Research Network Conference has been extended to 30 June 2023. See https://afrn.co/ for more information.
The Agri-Food Research Network invites researchers to submit their papers for consideration for the AGRN conference of 2023. The conference is hosted by the University of Tasmania and is scheduled for December 4-7 2023. The deadline for session proposals and abstracts is June 1st 2023. Please see https://afrn.co/agrifood-conference/afrn-conference-2023/call-for-papers-afrn-conference-2023/ for further details.
Rudi Messner is a post-doctoral researcher at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. After more than 25 years in the consumer goods industry, mostly in China, he received his PhD from the QUT Business School in 2021 with a thesis on the paradoxical economy of food waste in Australian horticultural supply chains. He is now working at the QUT School of Management and the Agrifood Systems Programme of the QUT Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy. Rudi’s research interests include agrifood system impacts and the governance of food system sustainability transitions. He is currently involved in research projects on sustainable grazing and the wellbeing of beef producers and an industry project to map food waste in Australian red meat supply chains. Rudi has recently commenced a new role as a post-doc on a three-year Australian Government Research Council grant titled “On-farm food shocks: Transitions to future food security”.
The International Rural Sociology Association is pleased to announce that the XVI World Congress of Rural Sociology will be held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in July 2026. The Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul be hosting the event in collaboration with the Asociación Latinoamericana de Socioloogía Rural (ALASRU). More details will be announced later.
Professor Sally Shortall is the Duke of Northumberland Chair of Rural Economy in Newcastle, UK, and holds an appointment in the South East Technology University, Ireland. She is interested in women’s role in agriculture, farm families, ecological transitions and farm safety. She is an elected Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences, and an International Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry for services to agriculture. Sally has twice served as the President of the European Society for Rural Sociology, and previously as First Deputy Vice-President of the International Rural Sociology Association. Current research includes leading a Horizon Europe project examining the role of rural and farm women in leading ecological transitions across Europe. Professor Shortall is an Irish citizen.