Project Overview

The Rural Reconciliation Project is an interdisciplinary research and engagement initiative hosted at the University of Nebraska College of Law. We are working to advance more robust and clear-eyed conversations about the past, present, and future of rural America. Our primary goal is to make the table bigger and the engagement—especially around law and policy’s unique relationship to rural people and places—more rigorous.

This website serves as a central hub for the Project’s work, including the Rural Review (our online journal), growing resource collections for research and teaching, and information about Project programming. The Project engages scholars, students, practitioners, and public audiences interested in questions and issues shaping rural life.

If you are interested in joining the conversation, please join us.

The Rural Review

Our online journal publishes accessible, timely writing on rural topics for academic and public audiences. Regular posts include:

  • Digests—short, student-written summaries of recent academic and scholarly work addressing emerging questions in law, policy, history, and related fields

  • Roundups—curated collections of recent rural research, media, news, and events that highlight current rural realities

  • Original Commentaries—guest essays, opinion pieces, and other contributions from diverse voices advancing conversations about rural pasts, presents, and futures

  • Book Reviews & Recommendations—reviews of new and notable scholarly works on rural topics and thematically focused reading lists exploring literary and artistic representations of rural experience

Explore the Review

Write for the Review

Syllabus Collection

The collected syllabi page gathers course materials from instructors across disciplines, offering a shared resource for scholars and students studying rural topics.

Browse syllabi

Programs

The Project offers regular programming, including workshops, guest lectures, and collaborative initiatives that bring scholars, practitioners, and students together to explore a range of topics.

View our signature programs

Review our annual Law & Rurality Workshops

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 The Project welcomes participation through writing, teaching, and programming collaborations. Meet our team, subscribe for updates, and feel free to reach out.

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From September 2021 to August 2023, this Project was supported (in part) by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the authors and presenters.