Crisis in rural life and crisis in thinking: directions for critical research*

Abstract

This is a substantially revised version of a paper originally presented to the annual meeting, Canadian Sociology and Anthropology Association, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, June 7,1988. We would like to thank the readers for the Reoiew for their comments on the original draft. We would also like to thank Dr. James McCrorie for his support and critique of the various drafts of this paper; and our colleague Doug Scott for drawing our attention to the literature on community. Research for this paper was made possible in part by funding from SSHRCC grant number 410-86-6043.

It’s cold and there’s something to do: The changing geography of Canadian National Hockey League players’ hometowns

“…Above we referred to the strong community commitment that is almost certainly a driving force in these places and others across Canada. In the context of small population sizes (and hence fewer minor hockey registrations) and scarcer resources, we can further advance that dedicated young athletes receive more individualized attention and encouragement from coaches and volunteers that greatly assists in their development (Hansen and Musynzki, 1990). While big city hockey programmes certainly have their strong points, perhaps many children become lost in the sheer size and complexity of these leagues.…”

“…By contrast, youth from smaller communities continue to have an advantage in making it to the NHL, which may be reflective of the stronger social and emotional support from coaches, families, friends, local fans and academic teachers (Smailes, 1997; Tonts and Atherley, 2005). Considering that a number of rural and smaller communities across Canada have been affected by economic restructuring since the 1970s, the fact that smaller communities remained as a stronghold of the NHL players’ hometowns until 2009 may be indicative of the resilience of smaller communities (Hansen and Musynzki, 1990; Oncescu, 2015). Nevertheless, in reality, players from smaller communities have been overtaken by savvy, competitive urban youth players in recent years.…”

Does Class Consciousness Exist in Rural Communities? The Impact of Restructuring and Plant Shutdowns in Rural Canada1

“…Certainly there was evidence of a "contradictory consciousness" (Hansen and Muszynski 1990;Naples 1994) or what Newby et at. (1978:278) described as "ambivalent and internally contradictory views" among many of our respondents.…”

Multiple Discourses on Crisis: Farm, Agricultural, and Rural Policy Implications

“…The expression farm crisis typically refers to financial issues (i.e., low incomes or increased debt loads), but it has become a euphemism for a wide range of concerns pertaining to structural changes in agriculture and declining rural communities. Conceptual ambiguities have been exacerbated by the naïve view that the difficulties experienced in agriculture and rural life are matters of “common knowledge” (Hansen and Muszynski 1990, p. 2). Therefore, it is important to consider various uses of the terms farm and agricultural crisis, including related assumptions, interpretive frameworks, and policy responses.…”