ABSTRACT
Rural America and rural Britain differ considerably. The first is so much bigger and much more varied in geography, climate and landscapes. Rural America and rural Britain have different fauna and flora and separate, if deeply intertwined, cultural histories. They have overlapping but divergent social structures and economic functions. The fact that we refer to them both as ‘rural’ suggests that we see more commonalities than differences, but that begs the question of whether we share a common conception of what is ‘rural’. And this cannot be taken for granted, certainly if—as surely is the case—an American’s understanding of rural is rooted in experience of rural America and a Briton’s understanding of rural is rooted in experience of rural Britain. On what basis then can we establish a common understanding?
