Big Rural

In a clear, eminently practical, utterly heartfelt, disarmingly honest, and exhaustively researched voice, Crystal Cook Marshall urges us to observe, think, and talk carefully and imaginatively about "big rural"--the rural space that connects us all in vital and identifiable ways to Appalachia and to the Pocahontas Coalfield. Dr. Cook Marshall brings together and listens intently to an extraordinary range of variously informed opinions and policies, scientific and engineering research, and personal desires regarding Appalachia past, present and future. Yet, she cannot abide easy answers. She stands, in that cold gray light of dawn, both weary and hopeful about Appalachia. She shows us how and what we can learn from big rural about our collective human future. It's a complex and compelling future. I can think of no better guide than Crystal Cook Marshall.

This fascinating work focuses on the coalfields of West Virginia through a social-technical lens that traces the connections between industrial rural spaces and the larger culture. As part of a series on urban-rural dynamics, Big Rural supports the theme of "rural places, resources, and people being exploited--at a distance--for urban benefit." This work is valuable for examining the "cultural meaning of industry," deconstructing the equation of rural with white male workers and using an empirical approach that incorporates field research and interviews with miners and energy engineers in the Pocahontas Coalfield. Cook Marshall includes interlude sections with words from the individuals living in these communities, who are often absent or excluded from research and representation. The biggest conclusion she draws is how "fossil fuel and other natural resource extraction industries" shape regional culture and space through the mechanisms of science and technology. She posits that the absent capitalists create systems that transform rural places and spaces and result in "severe social, cultural, economic, and environmental consequences, which can be highly damaging and detrimental." Highly informative and well written, this work finds gaps in the research, describes coalfield realities, and offers strategies for correcting damage to rural communities. Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; two-year technical program students.