Southern Rural Sociological Association

Distilling Change:

Rural Roots & River Currents in the New South

Southern Rural Sociological Association

Louisville, KY – February 1 & 2

2026 Annual Meeting

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The rural South is a place of deep roots and flowing change. From bourbon country to river valleys, from farms to small towns, Southern communities strike a balance between long-standing traditions and emerging currents of transformation. Rural residents face the challenges of poverty, depopulation, and resource decline, yet they also cultivate innovation, mutual aid, and new pathways to resilience. The theme for the Southern Rural Sociological Association’s (SRSA) 2026 conference is “Distilling Change: Rural Roots & River Currents in the New South.” We invite practitioners, scholars, students, and storytellers to join us in Louisville to explore how Southern rural life is being reimagined. Grounded in histories of agriculture, land, and labor, yet reshaped by migration, climate change, and commerce, the South offers a distinctive lens for understanding rural livelihoods. How do deep-rooted ties of family, culture, and place interact with new demographic shifts, emerging economies, and climate pressures? What strategies, networks, and institutions help communities navigate these changes? And how do river cities, crossroads, towns, and rural landscapes connect in shaping both resilience and vulnerability? The 2026 Annual Meeting invites papers, panels, and posters that share stories of rural adaptation, highlight theoretical and methodological insights, and amplify diverse voices across the South. We particularly encourage work that builds partnerships between scholars and practitioners, fosters cross-disciplinary collaboration, and places Southern rural issues in a national or global perspective. Together, these contributions will create a collective gallery of rural research and practice; one that honors the deep roots of Southern life while tracing the river currents of change that shape its future.

 

On February 3rd, a post-conference special gathering will be held: The first in-person annual meeting of SERA-49 Annual Meeting: Heirs’ Property—Impacts at Family, Community, and Regional Levels

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