Angel Paniagua

What rural restructuring

Abstract This paper emerges from a growing sense of disquiet over the regularity and often loosely utilised appearance of the concept ‘rural restructuring’ in the literature. The paper examines rural restructuring from two perspectives — as an analytical approach that emphasizes the need for a holistic view of change processes, and as a statement on the character of change in the countryside. The argument put forward is that restructuring ideas have much to commend them as an approach, even if theoretical improvement will require more diversity in ‘starting’ theoretical perspectives and a stronger willingness to engage with other theoretical stances when the weaknesses of a ‘starting’ perspective are revealed. This will entail approaching questions of rural restructuring from a broader range of perspectives than currently dominant visions, which are grounded in political economy. In exploring restructuring ideas as ‘facts’, the paper focuses on England, as this is a country in which rural restructuring is commonly reported to have occurred or be occurring. The paper argues that this vision of the English countryside is too poorly articulated and that support for this vision is far from convincing. It cautions that restructuring processes are less widespread than is often implied. Moreover, there are grounds for seeing restructuring processes are reifying the past, not heralding a new social dynamic.

The restructuring of rural Spain

Abstract This paper explores the utility of ideas derived from the rural restructuring literature for understanding contemporary trends in rural Spain. It concludes that the processes that analysts associate with rural restructuring are of little help in understanding the Spanish context. As regards capitalist markets, the Spanish countryside is not characterised by economic diversification, professionalism, environmentalism and consumerism on a scale that resembles anticipations derived from the restructuring literature. For state processes, lethargy is a more appropriate adjective than restructuring. Likewise, social and cultural change in civil society are subdued versions of trends that beset Spanish society.

Urban-rural migration, tourism entrepreneurs and rural restructuring in Spain

There is considerable debate about the contribution of counter-urbanization processes in the restructuring of rural areas in Europe. This paper focuses on the impact of counter-urbanization on outdoor rural activities in the context of rural development programmes, a subject on which there has been relatively little research. The participation of urban-rural migrants in new tourism developments is studied in three Spanish case studies: Girona (coastal model), Guadalajara (a very depopulated province near Madrid) and Ciudad Real (a province with a substantial number of endogenous initiatives). This microanalysis examines three main areas of concern : experiences of previous urban activity and the migration process; the main characteristics of the new businesses and their relationship with the local community; and socio-economic characteristics. The results demonstrate a stronger presence of urban-rural migrants in rural tourism activities, compared to other activities included in rural development programmes. The main reason for the urban-rural migration is the desire to be self-employed, although there are also a number of other secondary motives.

Counterurbanisation and new social class in rural Spain: The environmental and rural dimension revisited

Abstract There is much debate about the contribution of counterurbanisation processes to the restructuring of rural areas. This article focuses on the counterurbanisation of the so‐called new service class or self‐employed professionals in Spain in three provinces. Sources of demographic and taxation data are analysed in an attempt to study spatial trends and to carry out a quantitative analysis based on detailed interviews to establish the causes of the migration from a rural perspective.

Environmental Policy, Public Opinion and Global Climate Change in Southern Europe: The Case of Andalusia

Absract: This paper analyses the multiple relations existing between public opinion, public policies and global climate change from the perspective of environmental sociology. The framework for this research is the problem of environmental scale in the mitigation and adaptation of environmental problems. The case study was conducted in Andalusia, Spain; a southern European region where the impact of climate change is taking on increasing relevance due to the far-reaching effects that variations in precipitation, temperature change and desertification have had and will have on the area. Environmental policy and politics in relation to global climate change are analysed, as well as citizens’ attitudes and the main politics of adaptation on a regional scale. The contribution of this paper is that in these southern areas of Europe, citizens give priority to local and regional policies only in reference to the problems of ‘their’ climate change like soil erosion, precipitation changes or forest fires, but not in terms of global issues which are more difficult for people to identify such as the destruction of the ozone layer, polar icemelt, deforestation or the emission of greenhouse gases, amongst others.

The rural as a site of recreation: evidence and contradictions in Spain from a geographical perspective

There is a wide range of individual or collective interpretations of the conceptualisation of rurality. Rural tourism (RT) is a key component in the politics of rural spaces in Europe and, consequently, is clearly associated with the debate about rurality in each country. In addition to RT, this paper studies the framework of commoditisation, associated with its distinct character in each situation, depending on the actors involved in each process, policy or manifestation. It also discusses the role of tourism in generating different notions of rurality among the Spanish regional authorities. The information source used here consists in the critical analysis of national and regional regulations and the policy documents on RT since 1960. The paper finally concludes that RT is an important factor in the generation of different perspectives of rurality in Spain, which corresponds to its main role, rather than its socioeconomic effects, which have been limited to counteracting the effects of the rural exodus.

Public Right and Private Interest in Selected Recreation Initiatives in Rural Spain: A Sociogeographical Perspective

Abstract This paper examines new recreation initiatives in depopulated rural areas in Spain, and the resulting public right conflicts. It uses a social and cultural perspective on the geography of the initiatives, focusing on the differing responses from community and non-community actors. Three initiatives were chosen from a depopulated rural region of northern Spain. The paper suggests a different approach to the debates on space, the public right and communal goods, and the community.

I Live Out in the Countryside. Exploring Extreme Processes of Individualization in Rural Spain

Abstract The objective of this paper is to study in depth the perspective of the individual in rural geographic studies, specifically relationships between the position of the individual in the community and the physical space they inhabit. The focus of the study is individuals living alone in Spain, in the middle of the countryside in depopulated nuclei, with space but almost without a community. The analysis is based on a quantitative study of individuals who live alone in a village, from a geographical perspective and, also, the testimonies of various individuals who live alone, presented ethnographically. The conclusions show the temporary nature of the phenomenon, its wide distribution at a municipal level, a clear male predominance, the value of the absence of a community, the appreciation of values of the surroundings and the disappearance of the limits of the community in terms of spatial continuity.

Medio ambiente, desarrollo sostenible y escalas de sustentabilidad

This paper have two differents parts. The first part studies the complexity and the multiple dimensions of sustainability and sustainable development concepts. The perspective with referring to sustainability and sustainable development is that its very appeal is its vagueness. The second part studies the options of sustainable rural development in a global perspective and propose the different levels at which rural sustainability is important

Spatial and individual resistance(s) in depopulated and remote rural areas

ABSTRACT The concept of resistance is multidimensional in political and rural geography. It is mainly used to classify communities’ strategies in response to the actions of extra-local public and private agents. In this approach, the community is usually studied homogeneously. However, some interpretations consider that resistance creates differentiation processes within the rural community. From this perspective, individual resistance strategies can be analysed, which join forces in times of community resistance. In depopulated regions, the purpose of resistance is to remain in a place. This paper studies several cases of resistance in small populations affected by depopulation in a region of Spain.