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 promoted a rethinking and politicization of the discipline in the 1930s - and they did so with the support of the agencies employing them. In this light, neither the fact that rural sociologists are usually employed by the government nor the belief structure and career aspirations of rural sociologists can account for the postwar intellectual stagnation of the discipline. Instead, the broader retreat from New Deal liberalism and the elimination of reformist employment opportunities for rural sociologists must be seen as a central cause. -Author