Livelihood
The social and economic challenges facing rural communities have come under considerable public scrutiny in recent years. The challenges of rural productivity; housing availability and affordability; access to health care; transport costs and sustainable mobilities; and accessibility of digital infrastructure are all wicked problems that require complex and thought-through solutions. Yet the fragility of rural communities is often exposed through the competing demands of different stakeholders. Doctoral scholars working on the ‘Livelihood’ theme will develop co-operative dialogue and practices to identify the challenges, opportunities and resiliencies of rural communities, working in partnership with them to advocate for and suggest solutions.
Projects in this theme might investigate:
- Generational inequality, aging populations and age-specific services in the rural – youth aspirations and opportunities, support services for older people, loneliness and isolation.
- Spatial disconnections of rural poverty – the impact of access to services, landscapes and opportunities to the rural poor, and their (dis-)connection to cultural and more-than-human social activities.
- Rural enterprise and environmental value: rural-led entrepreneurship and synergies of productivity and biodiversity.
- What counts as a rural livelihood? Rural gentrification, short-term rental accommodation, new settlements, and practices of in/exclusion.
- Disabilities and rural opportunity.
- Digital cultures in areas with declining services and poor/little internet access.
SURF
William Smith Building
Keele University
Keele
Staffordshire
ST5 5BG
Email: surf@keele.ac.uk
Admissions enquiries: enquiries@keele.ac.uk