Carl C. Taylor

The Field of Rural Sociology

RURAL sociology differs from general so? ciology in that general sociology must analyze and describe the structure and functioning of all human relationships while rural so? ciology takes for its task the description and analysis of those human groups which live by the occupation of agriculture or by occupations immediately dependent upon agriculture. Rural soci? ology is concerned with the relations of rural people to each other, the relations of rural people to other sections of national and world populations, with rural institutions, with the rural standard of living and with the social problems which attach themselves to life and labor on the farm and in farm communities. Under this broad classification all sociology may be divided into rural sociology and urban sociology. Many other divisions of the field may be and are made for the sake of the detailed analysis of social life and social structure. Until the social significance of agriculture and of rural communities is made more apparent, rural sociology will probably attempt to cover some such broad division of social life as is indicated by the Urban-Rural classifica? tion.