Edited by:  
Erin McHenry-Sorber, West Virginia University  
Sara L. Hartman, Ohio University  

Manuscript proposals are currently being solicited for the next book of the Rural Education and Social Justice Series (Routledge). We are seeking proposals that describe critical theoretical  frameworks for creating more socially just and equitable rural education policies, partnerships,  and practices. Manuscripts should describe critical frameworks that investigate the intersection  of spatial equity (i.e., equity related to place) with other forms of educational equity through a  lens of rural education. Chapters should describe the critical theoretical framework and/or  reflections on challenges and best practices for implementation in rural education settings. This  could be in the form of scholarly research, reflective essays, or narratives of practical  application. We are currently not accepting stand-alone reviews of literature. 

Rationale  

State legislatures across the United States introduce and enact legislation banning the teaching of  critical race theory, historical events, the inclusion of curricula that include “divisive” ideas, the  participation of transgender athletes (or recognition of gender identities), and a host of other  actions that might cause “discomfort” for community members with historically privileged  identities, while simultaneously prohibiting diversity-focused professional development and  training for K-12 and higher education employees. At the local level, social and political debates  continue to play out in rural communities across the country in the forms of book bans curricular  debates, and anti-LGBTQ+ policies. These local conflicts highlight or exacerbate educational  inequities with deep historical roots, such as systemic racism, sexism, genderism, ableism, and  classism, among others.  

The mirroring of local social justice challenges with state-level policies designed to promote  inequities occurs in tandem with unjust funding policies, environmental degradation, and  inequitable distribution of resources and opportunities across places, creating and exacerbating  spatially unjust outcomes, including food and medical deserts, pernicious teacher staffing  shortages, and limited access to mental health resources, early intervention services, clean  drinking water, and other services and opportunities vital to the sustainability of rural places and  people. 

As rural educators and scholars, we are charged with understanding these complex and dynamic  challenges. This work requires specialized tools to interrogate and dismantle inequitable power  structures, surface historical legacies of marginalization and oppression, and make sense of the  imposition and adoption of grand political and economic narratives that encourage division and  

undermine the fabric of community. Complicating this work is a responsibility to move beyond a  deficit ideology as we grapple with complex problems of practice and knowing. Invoking the  writings of Freire, and highlighting practical examples, Azano and Biddle (2019) assert the need  “to challenge oppressive elements in ways that might elicit change” (p. 5). This volume seeks to  highlight examples of critical theoretical frameworks that address these complicated issues  through intersectional and assets-driven perspectives. 

Scopes and Aims 

The use of critical frameworks by rural education researchers has rapidly expanded in recent  years. In this book, we hope to highlight the use of critical theoretical frameworks across three  major forms: (1) interrogation of oppressive economic systems, norms, and policies that  marginalize rural communities and schools; (2) a focus on place as a complex arena marginalized  through its geospatial positioning and in which particular socially constructed groups are further  oppressed; and, (3) a focus on identity or intersectional inquiries that highlight the social  oppression and exclusion of specific rural populations. Our goal is to include book chapters that  highlight the use of critical theories in framing rural education scholarship and practice.  

Thus, our book will include chapters that present scholarly research, reflective essays about  using critical frameworks in research, and narratives that describe challenges and best practices  gleaned from implementation of a critical theoretical framework in rural education. 

Author Guidelines for Proposal Preparation  

  • Follow APA format (7th edition)  
  • A 100 word abstract  
  • A 200 word rationale describing how your chapter will fit within the scope and aims of the book.  A 200 word description of the topic that will be the focus of your chapter.  50 word/person author bios  

Proposal Submission  

Submit your proposal as a Microsoft Word document electronically via email to Rural.critical@gmail.com by October 30, 2024. Please do not hesitate to contact the editors with  questions while preparing your proposal.  

Timeline 

  • Decision on abstracts by December 15.
  • Initial chapter submission should be no more than 6,500 words, and are due April 1, 2025.  

About the Series 
Rural Education and Social Justice, Routledge  

This series examines rural education from a social justice lens, with a focus on complex and  intersectional identities, populations, and disciplines. The books in this series take note of and  seek to remedy longstanding issues of educational inequity in rural schools, and share a  commitment to dismantling white supremacist, monolingual, and heteronormative legacies  influencing power dynamics of rural education research, governance, policy, and practice. It also  addresses the complex ecosystem of rural schools and communities, illustrating rural diversity.  Timely and compelling, the Rural Education and Social Justice series includes research, theory,  and foundation readings for rural education scholars and practitioners.  

Series Editor: Amy Price Azano, azano@vt.edu