This book examines how America's diverse rural communities use their various capitals to address the modern challenges that face them. Each chapter opens with a case study of a community facing a particular challenge, and is followed by a comprehensive discussion of sociological concepts to be applied to understanding the case.

Preface -- Introduction -- Community Capitals and the Rural Landscape -- Components of Rural Communities: The Community Capitals -- Natural Capital -- Cultural Capital -- Human Capital -- Social Capital and Community -- Political Capital -- Financial Capital -- Built Capital -- Community Capitals and Community Development in a Changing World -- The Global Economy -- Consumption in Rural America -- Governance -- Generating Community Change