Includes bibliographical references.

Candid accounts by Rural Sociologists: Editor's Introduction by Johannes I. (Hans) Bakker, Brandon University PART I: Background Accounts General Introduction by Lawrence Busch, Michigan State University 1. Rural Sociology: A Slightly Personal History by Stephen Turner, University of South Florida 2. "I Could Tell Stories 'til the Cows Come Home:" Personal Biography meets Collective Biography by Julie N. Zimmerman, University of Kentucky PART II: Candid Accounts 3. An Accidental Rural Sociologist by Michael D. Schulman, North Carolina State University 4. From Estate Agriculture to the Industrial Diet: The Trajectory of a Canadian Rural Sociologist by Anthony Winson, University of Guelph 5. The Intersection of Biography and Work as a Rural Sociologist by Linda Lobao, The Ohio State University 6. Rural Sociologists at Work: Dual Careers, Single Focus by Cornelia Butler Flora and Jan L. Flora, Iowa State University PART III: Theory and Method 7. Rural Sociology: An Intellectual Crescent Wrench by Ralph Brown, Brigham Young University 8. Avoiding Burnout: All Who Wander Are Not Lost by Conner Bailey, Auburn University 9. The Accidental Rural Sociologist by Bill Reimer, Concordia University.

Pt. I. Background accounts -- pt. II. Candid accounts -- pt. III. Theory and method.