ABSTRACT
In developing regions, the rural category seems less problematic because a large proportion of people continue to live and work in rural spaces and engage in agriculture. Scholars theorizing about the connection between space and social relations face challenges as rural areas continue to shift away from reliance on agriculture. Scholarly work on rural women's lives in particular locations and time periods has flourished in recent years, yet theories of rural society and feminist scholarship incorporate only fragments of this work. Rural women's connections to the natural world can inform feminist theory. Their knowledge and experiences offer a materialist base for ecofeminism and suggest practical strategies for solving ecological crises. Rural women thoroughly know and interact with their local environments. However, some rural women actively promote women's rights. For example, rural women in Zimbabwe who participated in resistance struggles demanded rights under the new political regime. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
