ABSTRACT
This chapter elaborates on the research gap between developed and developing countries, and shows that the issue 'sense of belonging' is used to illustrate how concepts can be used for transcending this research gap. The division between research in developed and developing countries can be seen as reminiscent of a more political economic approach, according to which the differences between various parts of the world were so great that different lines of reasoning and approaches should be used. The chapter focuses on the issue of combining studies of physical/material and social/cultural issues in rural studies. The cultural turn in rural studies has brought much new and interesting material as well as new methods forward and revitalized almost forgotten subject matters within research field. The chapter presents a case study that focus on a combination of the cultural turn with more 'conventional' geographical studies of land use. An analytical approach is developed—as a study of the practices and values of rural dwellers.
