Children of the Broken Heartlands: Rural Isolation and the Geography of Opportunity

This talk identifies rural isolation as a barrier to rural children’s access to civic or relational equality in the larger society beyond their rural towns. It identifies physical separation, cultural distance, and failures of respect and understanding as defining aspects of rural isolation that make it analogous to de facto racial isolation as it was understood in the era of U.S. civil rights legislation and efforts to racially integrate public schools. These dimensions of rural isolation are examined in the context of an evolving geography of opportunity, characterized by an increasing concentration of economic activity, high-status occupations, and educational and social pathways to middle class status in cities. The talk concludes by considering some ways in which the civic equality of rural children might be promoted.

Randall Curren is a Professor of Philosophy and Education and Chair of the Philosophy Department at the University of Rochester. His work spans multiple areas of philosophy, including philosophy of education as well as ancient, political, and moral philosophy. His recent books include Patriotic Education in a Global Age (University of Chicago Press) and Living Well Now and in the Future: Why Sustainability Matters(MIT Press). 

This talk will be hosted on Zoom. For more information, please email Lucy Schwarz.

Event Contacts
Lucy Schwarz
luciaschwarz@email.arizona.edu