Both here and elsewhere: rural girls’ contradictory visions of the future

Abstract

Girls' studies have made an important contribution to the literature on subjectivity and schooling in neoliberal times; however, girlhood studies within Western contexts remain predominantly urban in focus. This article brings an analysis of place to debates about gendered subjectivity formation by exploring gendered patterns within rural students' imagined futures. Drawing upon ethnographic research with grade 7/8 students in rural Ontario (Canada), the analysis demonstrates how girls construct contradictory future narratives envisioning urban femininities while insisting they will remain living in the country. I argue that this tension must be explored in relation to the gendered context of rural social space, as well as post-feminist discourses of ‘girl power’. The analysis contributes to the fields of rural education and girlhood studies by foregrounding the significance of place within the gendered formation of student subjectivities and future aspirations.

Keywords:

• rural
• girls
• futures
• mobilities
• subjectivity
• neoliberalism

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank Kari Dehli, Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández, and Diane Farmer for their invaluable feedback throughout this research.

Notes

1. For a recent exception, see Driscoll (2013).

2. In Canada, the term ‘country’ is used colloquially to refer to rural living.

3. The names of local places and participants have been replaced with pseudonyms.

4. Originally developed in Canada in 1994, The Real Game has now been adapted for use in the USA, the UK, France, Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Hungary, Germany and Ireland.