Is rural an identity? What does it mean to be rural? How do we even begin to grapple with such a big and complex set of experiences and relationships? In the spirit of actual rural reconciliation, this program series aims to tell more accurate and complex rural stories, questioning what we know, what we take for granted, and what voices are sometimes left out in the prevailing stories we hear.
Who defines rural?
October 9, 2025
12:00 - 1:00 pm
In-Person Discussion
Hannah Haksgaard, The Rural Lawyer: How to Incentivize Rural Law Practice and Help Small Communities Thrive
The Rural Reconciliation Project—along with the Greater Nebraska Connections student organization—will host Hannah Haksgaard, Professor at the University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law, at the University of Nebraska College of Law for an in-person discussion of Professor Haksgaard’s new book, The Rural Lawyer: How To Incentivize Rural Law Practice and Help Small Communities Thrive (Cambridge University Press, 2025). The presentation will address policy responses to the rural lawyer shortage and will include a discussion of what the rural practice of law is like for new attorneys.
Nicholas F. Jacobs, The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disuniting of America
Dr. Nicholas Jacobs is a political scientist and assistant professor of government at Colby College. His recent co-authored work, The Rural Voter, combines detailed empirical research with empathy built from real-world experience to explore the evolution of a powerful rural voting bloc in modern American politics. At a time of increasing political polarization, Dr. Jacobs joins the Rural Reconciliation Project for an honest conversation about what divides—but could unite—rural and urban America.
March 11, 2025
5:30-6:30 pm
In-Person Panel
Panel Discussion, Eminent Domain: After the Pipelines
The Rural Reconciliation Project is teaming up with the Center for Great Plains Studies and Angels Theatre Company for an in-person discussion inspired by the upcoming premiere of the new play, Eminent Domain. Join Playwright Laura Leininger-Campbell, Angels Theatre Company Director Timothy Scholl, and UNL Law Professors (and RRP Co-Creators!) Jessica Shoemaker and Anthony Schutz for a conversation about family farms, corporate interests, and land use. Part of the discussion will include short readings from the play.
October 24, 2024
12:00-1:00 pm
Online Webinar
April 24, 2026
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
Rural Democracy and the Concentration of Economic Power: Research Roundtable and Workshop
This interdisciplinary research roundtable and workshop will convene scholars from around the country to consider complex issues of concentrated economic power and its impact on rural democracy in the modern era. Key participants include:
Loka Ashwood, Professor of Community and Environmental Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Hiba Hafiz, Associate Professor and McHale Faculty Research Scholar, Boston College Law
Brian Highsmith, Assistant Professor, UCLA School of Law
Jessica A. Shoemaker, Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Nebraska College of Law