A new deal for farmers and social scientists: the politics of rural sociology in the depression era ( USA).

Investigates the historical and institutional context of rural sociology in the USA during the Depression. This historical investigation leads to conclusions that challenge much of the current opinion. Most importantly, the conservative and atheoretical tendencies of postwar rural sociology are not the result of its applied nature per se. In fact, populist reformers in New Deal agencies who were very much engaged in 'applied' rural sociology …