In what sense ruralization?

Abstract

This commentary offers an analysis of Gillen et al.’s (2022) ‘Geographies of ruralization’. Through a reading of the authors’ conceptualization of ‘in-situ’ and ‘extended’ ruralization, I raise two sets of questions. The first pertains to the relationship between ruralization – which the authors conceptualize primarily in terms of rural social reproduction – and transformations in agricultural production and agrarian political economy under contemporary capitalism. The second invites the authors to further elaborate on the historical specificity of the concept of ruralization, the politico-epistemological standpoint of their conceptualization, and the theoretical framework within which the concept is embedded.