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The Contribution of the Creative Economy to the Resilience of Rural Communities: Exploring Cultural and Digital Capital

Roberts, Elisabeth; Townsend, Leanne

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Authors

Leanne Townsend



Abstract

© 2016 European Society for Rural Sociology. This article develops understanding of cultural and digital capital in order to evaluate the contribution of creative practitioners to rural community resilience. Online practices today impact on creative work in rural locales in a number of ways. However, exactly how they extend 'reach' and contribute to rural creativity deserves greater attention. We examine how broadband Internet access and online practices impact on rural creative work and, in turn, how this enables creatives to participate at different levels in their rural communities, thus contributing to research into both rural community resilience and rural creative economies by providing in-depth qualitative analysis. Through interviews undertaken in rural Scotland, the article outlines the implications of poor rural Internet connectivity for creative economies and explores the impact of this on the role of creatives in their rural communities and their 'community-focused' creative activities. Our findings suggest creative practitioners are using digital technologies and adaptive approaches to overcome barriers to connectivity and to remain in rural locations. Creatives are invested in their communities and their rurality on a number of levels, contributing to community resilience through building cultural capital in diverse ways, and to 'ripple effects' from online activities.

Citation

Roberts, E., & Townsend, L. (2016). The Contribution of the Creative Economy to the Resilience of Rural Communities: Exploring Cultural and Digital Capital. Sociologia Ruralis, 56(2), 197-219. https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12075

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 13, 2015
Online Publication Date Jan 13, 2015
Publication Date Apr 1, 2016
Deposit Date Jun 15, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Sociologia Ruralis
Print ISSN 0038-0199
Electronic ISSN 1467-9523
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 56
Issue 2
Pages 197-219
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12075
Keywords rural development, cultural capital, digital technology, creative economy, rural broadband
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/922766
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/soru.12075

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