ABSTRACT
The demographic, social and economic transformations occurring in most parts of Africa and Asia are based on a complementary relationship between rural and urban areas. Rather than clear-cut linkages and transitions, there is a blurring of the rural-urban divide (Tacoli, 2008). In this chapter we explore the ways in which rural-urban linkages have been studied, arguing for a more fluid approach that focuses on the dynamics between rural and urban areas. We then provide a background to the key concepts that we consider are central to an analysis of rural-urban dynamics, and which run throughout the book, namely markets, livelihoods and mobility. Subsequently we introduce the reader to the methodological approaches adopted in the collection and analysis of the data in this multi-sited comparative project.
