A newly published chapter in Critical Futures: Community-Engaged Research in a Time of Social Transformation (University of Toronto Press) invites readers to rethink what it means to live, work, and thrive in rural places today. Written by Sean Markey (Simon Fraser University), Ashleigh Weeden (Rural Studies PhD Alumni, University of Guelph), Ryan Gibson (University of Guelph), Greg Halseth (University of Northern British Columbia), and Laura Ryser (University of Northern British Columbia), “Community-Engaged Research and the ‘Right to Be Rural’” challenges long-held assumptions that cast rural communities as outdated, declining, or simply waiting to become urban. Instead, the authors argue that rural places deserve recognition, investment, and the fundamental right to determine their own futures.

Image:  Book Cover.

The “right to be rural” aligns with broader global movements demanding dignity, representation, and the ability for communities to chart their own course in the face of rapid social and economic change. By amplifying rural experiences and knowledge, this work invites readers to imagine futures where rural communities are not just surviving, but leading transformation on their own terms.

Learn more about the recently published chapter and the book at The University of Toronto Press [1].