Premium
The Work of Rural Professionals: Doing the Gemeinschaft‐Gesellschaft Gavotte
Author(s) -
Mellow Muriel
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
rural sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.083
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1549-0831
pISSN - 0036-0112
DOI - 10.1526/0036011053294637
Subject(s) - rurality , work (physics) , sociology , rural sociology , rural area , rural management , public relations , political science , rural development , geography , law , agriculture , mechanical engineering , archaeology , engineering
This paper considers how rurality affects the work of professionals. Sociologists have paid little attention to possible rural‐urban differences in work styles and no study exists which compares the rural experience of those in different professions. I review the literature describing the work of various rural professionals and examine interview data from rural clergy to see whether rural professionals differentiate their work from that of their urban peers. The comparison across occupations reveals several common concerns, including the need to do similar work with fewer resources, the necessity of adapting protocols and codes of conduct to rural settings, and the challenge of dealing with dual relationships. I argue that conventional standards of professional behavior reflect an urban bias and that rural life problematizes the notion of professionalism. Those who work in rural places are caught trying to dance between the “tunes” of gemeinschaft and gesellschaft society.