Rural Studies Series

Series Editors: Kai A. Schafft and Jennifer Sherman


The Rural Sociological Society and the University of North Carolina Press collaborate on the Rural Studies Series to promote the scholarly study and analysis of rural social issues. We look for well-written, well-conceptualized, and accessible manuscripts on a wide range of topics of interest to a broad readership. We are especially interested in manuscripts that address the connections between the local and global, the embeddedness of social structure and social processes in the organization of social space, issues of race and ethnicity, environment and climate change, and the integration of rural places within the global system. We seek a diversity of research-based theoretical and methodological approaches and encourage scholars from all social sciences and related fields (e.g., legal scholars) to submit book proposals for possible inclusion in the Series. 

Co-Editors of the Rural Studies Series work with authors to develop book prospectuses and manuscripts through both informal exchanges and formal written reviews. The Co-Editors are assisted by an Editorial Advisory Committee. The goal is to prepare submissions to UNC Press that will result in publication. Upon receiving a manuscript and endorsement by the co-editors, UNC Press conducts their own reviews and makes the final decision on whether to publish. UNC Press may ask the Series Co-Editors to review and evaluate manuscripts that come directly to them that are a good fit within the Series. 

For more information, see our guidelines on preparing a Rural Studies Series book prospectus. 

Prospective authors do not need to be members of the Rural Sociological Society, but we hope that anyone who contributes to the Rural Studies Series will join RSS and become an active member of our scholarly community. 


Series Editors 

For additional information, please contact: 

Kai A Schafft

Kai A. Schafft
Professor of Education and Rural Sociology
Department of Education Policy Studies
Penn State University, Department of Education Policy Studies
University Park, PA 16854

Jennifer Sherman 
Professor of Sociology 
Washington State University 
Pullman, WA 99164  


UNC Press Sponsoring Editor 

Lucas Church, Executive Editor 
[email protected] 


The University of North Carolina Press
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