Call for Proposals: Rural Power & Democracy Workshop
Interdisciplinary Rural Power & Democracy Workshop
In-person in Lincoln, Nebraska
Primary Workshop Date: April 24, 2026
The Rural Reconciliation Project invites proposals for an in-person workshop exploring, from interdisciplinary perspectives, complex issues of concentrated economic power and its impact on rural democracy in the modern era. Submissions are due January 15, 2026, with decisions expected soon thereafter. All details follow. For questions, please contact Professor Jessica Shoemaker.
Please note that, although the primary workshop date is April 24, 2026, we anticipate possibly extending this schedule both before and after this date. For example, we will likely convene a pre-workshop welcome event on April 23, 2026, and—depending on interest and availability—may continue future-focused discussions into April 25, 2026.
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The central question of this workshop is how concentrated economic power shapes the possibilities and limits of rural democracy in the modern era. How does economic concentration structure who gets to decide what in the countryside? Or, who possesses the resources necessary to participate in collective life?
Recent scholarship has traced the consolidation of rural economic life through vertically integrated agribusiness, declining labor competition, and financialized land and other markets. These developments alter not only the distribution of economic rewards but also the foundations of civic participation and local governance. This workshop will probe the causes and consequences of these transformations, asking how legal and institutional design might respond to growing forms of rural alienation and political polarization—or, alternatively, cultivate new capacities for self-determination and democratic renewal.
Although this workshop is directed principally toward the U.S. countryside, it invites comparative and theoretical work on concentration, democracy, and law in other rural contexts. We particularly welcome contributions that connect empirical and historical accounts of economic restructuring to normative and institutional questions about democracy, law, and social provisioning.
A primary objective of this workshop is to bring into direct conversation scholars across disciplinary borders. Confirmed contributors reflect this commitment to diversity of viewpoints and methodologies:
Loka Ashwood, Professor of Community and Environmental Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Hiba Hafiz, Associate Professor and McHale Faculty Research Scholar, Boston College Law
Mary K. Hendrickson, Professor and Director, College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, University of Missouri
Brian Highsmith, Assistant Professor, UCLA School of Law
K-Sue Park, Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law
Olivia Paschal, Journalist and Graduate Student (History), University of Viriginia
Margot J. Pollans, Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law, Pace University School of Law
Jessica A. Shoemaker, Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Nebraska College of Law
James Fallows Tierney, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Chicago-Kent College of Law
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The workshop format will include time for each participant to introduce briefly their existing work and expertise and, if desired, to receive feedback on—and engage in formative discussion around—an in-progress or early-stage research question or idea. Applicants may propose to share any type of early-stage draft related to these workshop themes for circulation to workshop participants in advance of the workshop: a research prospectus, outline, or abstract; a book prospectus; an article manuscript; or even a grant proposal.
Scholars already actively working on these research questions are also invited to propose participation without a draft for workshop, if they are so inclined, and may participate as valuable workshop commentators or in more open-ended roundtable and workshop discussions on key questions and future research trajectories.
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Interested participants should email (1) a current CV or short informal biography that highlights the scholar’s expertise and current related work and (2) if applicable, a brief abstract of what they propose to submit for feedback at the workshop (no more than 500 words). For scholars who seek to participate without workshopping a draft of their own in-progress work, a short statement of what they hope to gain from, or contribute to, the workshop would be helpful.
Direct submissions to Jess Shoemaker at this linked email.
Applications are due by January 15, 2026.
The goal of the workshop is to include a diverse range of scholars at all career stages and across disciplinary and geographic boundaries, and participants will be selected to best facilitate a robust discussion and active research engagement.
No remote or hybrid participation is planned at this time.
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Interested participants must respond to this Call for Proposals by January 15, 2026, and decisions will be made soon thereafter.
Once accepted, drafts for circulation to workshop participants will be due April 3, 2026.
The primary workshop discussion will occur on April 24, 2026, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
If participation warrants, further conversation and roundtable discussion may be continued into April 25, 2026.
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At this time, we expect workshop participants will provide their own travel to Lincoln and fund their own lodging while here, though we plan to arrange for discounted accommodation options for workshop participants in a convenient hotel block.
The Rural Reconciliation Project will provide workshop space and hosting services, some meals during the workshop, and assistance with any local travel (locally to or from the workshop or meal spaces, if needed, and any field-trip offerings provided).
If this self-funding requirement presents a significant hardship, please reach out.
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Any questions about the workshop can be directed to Jess Shoemaker at this linked email.
