Rethinking Rural

2026 George M. Beal Distinguished Lectureship in Rural Sociology

Is there really any such thing as "rural"? Places distinct and apart? That's the question Steven Conn will pose in his lecture "Rethinking Rural." Conn will take an historical look at the forces that have shaped rural America since the Civil War, forces no different than those that have acted on the rest of the country. In so doing, Conn will tip some sacred cows and ask us to think differently about what we call rural. In this provocative talk, Conn will argue that we need to strip away our enduring myths about rural if we are going to have more productive conversations about the future of rural places.

Dr. Steven Conn is an American historian and author who serves as the W. E. Smith Professor of History at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He specializes in 19th- and 20th-century American cultural and intellectual history, urban history, and public history, having previously taught for over two decades at Ohio State University.

The recorded lecture will be accessible to those with a current ISU Net ID on the Available Recordings page approximately two business days after the event and will remain accessible for three weeks.