Publications by category
Books
Pini B, Brandth B, Little J (2014).
Feminisms and Ruralities., Lexington Books.
Abstract:
Feminisms and Ruralities
Abstract.
Little JK (eds)(2005).
Critical studies in rural gender issues. Aldershot, Ashgate.
Abstract:
Critical studies in rural gender issues
Abstract.
Little JK (2002). Gender and Rural Geography: identity, sexuality and power in the countryside., Prentice Hall.
Journal articles
Little JK, Pain R, Panelli R, Kindon S (In Press). Moments in everyday/distant geopolitics: Young people’s fears and hopes. Geoforum, 41, 972-982.
Little JK (In Press). Nature, Well-being and the Transformational Self.
Geographical JournalAbstract:
Nature, Well-being and the Transformational Self
This paper explores nature as an actor in the management of the fit body and the self. Using Foucault’s ideas on the care of the self and bodily discipline the paper shows how contemporary fitness holidays frame both the ideas and the practices of fitness as transformative and natural. Research from fitness holidays in the UK and Europe is presented to examine the ways in which a ‘return to nature’ is used to repair and discipline the body. Well-being is seen as part of a journey in which the body is transformed via natural forms of exercise, relaxation and dieting from poor health to fitness. Such transformation it is argued, however, is prescribed by conventional aspirations and expectations surrounding the appropriate body and a desire for weight loss.
Abstract.
Little JK, Ilbery B, Watts D, Gilg A, Simpson S (In Press). Regionalisation and the rescaling of agro-food governance: case study evidence from two English regions.
Political GeographyAbstract:
Regionalisation and the rescaling of agro-food governance: case study evidence from two English regions
Some researchers detected a new-found subsidiarity in rural policy after England’s 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease epidemic, with regional and sub-regional institutions working together to implement an economic recovery strategy. While such research began to link debates on the new regionalism and the re-scaling of agro-food governance, its conception of the latter focused too narrowly on the ‘turn to quality’, thereby overlooking other important aspects of food relocalisation. Based on interviews conducted in England’s South West and West Midlands regions, this paper examines whether the attitudes of key actors from regional and sub-regional governance institutions provided a sound basis for partnership working on the food relocalisation policies recommended in the Government’s Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food. It finds different attitudes on the part of regional and sub-regional actors, with the former favouring regional foods and the latter local foods. Despite scepticism from both groups about the ability of the England Rural Development Programme (2000-2006) to promote food relocalisation, grants were awarded to both regional and local food entrepreneurs, suggesting that the programme contributed more to food relocalisation than previously thought.
Abstract.
Little JK (In Press). Transformational Tourism, Nature and Well-being: new perspectives on fitness and the body. Sociologia Ruralis, 52, 257-271.
Little J (2020). Violence, the Body and the Spaces of Intimate War.
Geopolitics,
25(5), 1118-1137.
Abstract:
Violence, the Body and the Spaces of Intimate War
This paper explores the relationship between domestic violence and rurality through the theoretical lens of intimate war. It argues for a geopolitical perspective that foregrounds issues of space and scale and emphasises the ‘entwined geographies of corporality and violence’. Drawing on recent empirical research in the UK, I explore the ways in which the body is contained and controlled both physically and emotionally through intimate war. In doing so I focus on three key aspects of domestic violence: hidden geographies, tactics of entrapment and surveillance and the wounding of the body. The context of rurality provides a set of spatial and social characteristics that need to be taken into consideration in understandings of the experience of domestic violence and the responses by agencies and professionals.
Abstract.
Little J (2019). Editorial: Emotional geography and Transactions. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 44(2), 210-213.
Watts D, Little J, Ilbery B (2018). ‘I am pleased to shop somewhere that is fighting the supermarkets a little bit’. A cultural political economy of alternative food networks.
Geoforum,
91, 21-29.
Abstract:
‘I am pleased to shop somewhere that is fighting the supermarkets a little bit’. A cultural political economy of alternative food networks
This paper conducts a cultural political economy (CPE) analysis of consumers’ semiotic and material construals of alternative food networks (AFN). It starts by outlining, in the context of debate over AFN, why CPE is a useful analytical tool. The collection of talk data from 40 respondents, and food consumption data from 20 respondents, is outlined and explained. Talk data reveal that interviewees construe conventional and alternative food networks differently based on values relating to food quality judgements, provenance and trust, and alternativeness. Consumption data demonstrate respondents’ material engagement with conventional and, to a lesser extent, alternative food networks. The paper concludes that CPE is a productive framework for analysing AFN qua a subaltern economic imaginary, and that it can help to set them on ‘firmer’ ground, both ontologically and normatively.
Abstract.
Little J (2017). Running, health and the disciplining of women's bodies: the influence of technology and nature.
Health Place,
46, 322-327.
Abstract:
Running, health and the disciplining of women's bodies: the influence of technology and nature.
This paper explores the relationship between health, the body and exercise through an examination of women's running practices. Drawing on a series of original interviews with women it shows how running reflects anxieties about health and the unruly body and how running practices are firmly linked to ideas about body size and shape and to the 'ghosts' of potential, future illness. The paper then explores the ways in which running practices are shaped by attitudes to technology and by the relationship between nature, environment and the body.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Little JK (2016). Understanding Domestic Violence in Rural Spaces: a Research Agenda.
Progress in Human GeographyAbstract:
Understanding Domestic Violence in Rural Spaces: a Research Agenda
This paper responds to calls for geographers to engage critically with the
claim that ‘violence sits in places’ in the analysis of domestic violence in
rural areas. It argues the need to develop conceptual understandings of
the spatialised and embodied experience of domestic violence in the
countryside. Drawing on debates about what counts as violence and on
feminist work on domestic violence as intimate terrorism, the paper
explores ways in which experiences of violence, (and associated fear) are
shaped by particular constructions and performances of rural masculinity
and by the social and cultural relations that continue to characterize rural
communities.
Abstract.
Little J (2013). Pampering, well-being and women's bodies in the therapeutic spaces of the spa.
Social and Cultural Geography,
14(1), 41-58.
Abstract:
Pampering, well-being and women's bodies in the therapeutic spaces of the spa
This paper develops and extends recent work in geography on therapeutic landscapes and the body in an examination of pampering practices in the contemporary spa. Drawing on feminist research on health, gender identity and the body, the paper explores the importance of escape, relaxation and other strategies to combat stress on the well-being practices and routines of women. Using original data collected from interviews in two spas in the South West of England, the paper argues that a visit to the spa is increasingly being seen as an important part of women's wider health and bodily maintenance providing a space for relaxation and withdrawal from responsibilities of the home and workplace. The pampering treatments reinforce the therapeutic benefits of the spa creating a sense of luxury and a focus on the self. The paper locates these arguments within the twin theoretical concerns of the 'care of the self' and disciplining the body, suggesting that any attempts to understand the practices and therapies for maintaining bodily well-being must incorporate a recognition of their simultaneous role in regulating the size and shape of women's bodies. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
Abstract.
Little J (2013). Rural. Key Ideas in Geography.
PROGRESS IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY,
37(2), 321-323.
Author URL.
Little J (2012). ‘Pampering, Well-Being and Women’s Bodies in the Therapeutic Spaces of the Spa’. Social and Cultural Geography
Ilbery B, Watts D, Little J, Gilg A, Simpson S (2010). Attitudes of food entrepreneurs towards two grant schemes under the first England Rural development Programme, 2000-2006.
Land Use Policy,
27(3), 683-689.
Abstract:
Attitudes of food entrepreneurs towards two grant schemes under the first England Rural development Programme, 2000-2006
Grant schemes introduced under the first England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) (2000–2006)
have been subjected to limited academic research and this paper aims to fill this gap by examining the
attitudes of food entrepreneurs in two contiguous English regions to two key elements of the ERDP: the
Processing and Marketing Grant (PMG) and the Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES).
Abstract.
Little J, Ilbery B, Watts D (2009). Gender, consumption and the relocalisation of food: a research agenda.
Sociologia Ruralis,
49(3), 201-217.
Abstract:
Gender, consumption and the relocalisation of food: a research agenda
This article adopts a gendered approach to the study of alternative/ local food consumption. Drawing on Allen and Sachs' three analytical domains, the article explores material, sociocultural and embodied conceptualisations of the relationship of women with alternative food consumption. Using original data collected from a study of food relocalisation in the UK, it argues that a gendered perspective that examines responsibilities for food preparation and for provisioning the household is important in understanding the motivation for and implications of decisions to consume local food. Local food consumption often involves consumers in choices over not only what they eat but how they cook, encouraging a move away from processed food and a greater emphasis on raw food and cooking from scratch. Such shifts have a disproportionate effect on women as they are still largely responsible for feeding the household. The article also explores ways in which social pressures around healthy eating and bodily fitness, particularly in relation to children's eating patterns, are increasingly relevant to local food consumption arguing. Again, such pressures fall unequally on different members of the household and are central to a gendered analysis of food consumption. © Journal compilation © 2009 European Society for Rural Sociology.
Abstract.
Little J, Panelli R (2007). 'Outback' romance? a reading of nature and heterosexuality in rural Australia.
Sociologia Ruralis,
47(3), 173-188.
Abstract:
'Outback' romance? a reading of nature and heterosexuality in rural Australia
This article examines the relationship between the sexuality and understandings of nature. Employing a case of 'romance'in 'outback'Australia, we dissolve the boundaries between 'nature' and 'society' to show some of the varied ways in which the construction and performance of heterosexuality is shaped by (and is integral to) dominant ways of knowing nature. In practical terms, we draw on a reality TV series in which single men in 'outback' Australia ('bush bachelors') advertise for potential partners ('sheilas') from the UK. The series charts the development of the relationships as they are played out in remote parts of Western Australia. In this article we critically read the series and draw out three key themes characterising the relationality of nature and heterosexuality. Initially, we look at how nature frames the expectation and reality of sexual relationships in the 'outback', particularly in terms of its power and hostility. We then explore the centrality of nature to constructions of 'outback' masculinity and the way such constructions dominate the heterosexual relationships that develop between the couples. Finally, we show how a further dynamic of the nature/sexuality relationship involves the expectation of a particular kind of femininity as appropriate to the physical, social and cultural nature of the 'outback'. © 2007 the Authors. Journal Compilation © 2007 European Society for Rural Sociology.
Abstract.
Little JK (2007). Constructing nature in the performance of rural heterosexualities. Environment and Planning D Society and Space, 25(5), 851-866.
Little J (2007). Gender and geography in the United Kingdom, 1980-2006.
Documents d'Analisi Geografica(49), 57-72.
Abstract:
Gender and geography in the United Kingdom, 1980-2006
This paper discusses the progress of feminist geography in the UK over the past 25 years. The first part of the paper refers to the earlier books and articles to establish key «moments» in the development of feminist geography in the UK; the second part goes on to document more recent developments in feminist geography such as the adoption of the concept of gender identity; the third section attempts to illustrate the main developments in feminist geography in the UK through reference to my own area of research, rural geography. Finally the paper briefly examines, by way of conclusion, the development of feminist geography in the UK in the context of teaching.
Abstract.
Little J (2007). Gender and geography: Developments in the United Kingdom 1980-2006.
BELGEO(3), 335-348.
Abstract:
Gender and geography: Developments in the United Kingdom 1980-2006
This paper outlines the progress of feminist geography in the UK over the past 25 years, drawing on just some of the rich texts that have been produced. It charts the development of the sub-discipline through the key theoretical shifts. Within this discussion it pays particular attention to recent developments in feminist geography in the UK. It examines the ways in which geographers have adopted the concept of gender identity enabling them to explore more effectively the differing experiences between and within genders. The paper also shows how work on sexuality and the body has had a growing influence on the study of gender and on the construction and experience of identity. Using the example of rural geography, the paper goes on to explore how feminist approaches have influenced a particular sub-area of geography over the past 30 years. The paper ends by asserting that while there is much to celebrate in the development of feminist geography in the UK, there is still a need for a continued emphasis on gender equality.
Abstract.
Ilbery B, Watts D, Simpson S, Gilg A, Little J (2006). Mapping local foods: Evidence from two English regions.
British Food Journal,
108(3), 213-225.
Abstract:
Mapping local foods: Evidence from two English regions
Purpose - This paper sets out to engage with current debate over local foods and the emergence of what has been called an alternative food economy and to examine the distribution of local food activity in the South West and West Midlands regions of England. Design/methodology/approach - Databases on local food activity were constructed for each region from secondary sources. The data were mapped by means of choropleth mapping at postcode district level. Findings - Although local food activity is flourishing in the South West and, to a lesser extent, the West Midlands, it is unevenly distributed. Concentrations occur in both regions. These may relate to a variety of factors, including: proximity to urban centres and particular trunk roads, landscape designations and the geography of farming types. The products that tend to predominate - horticulture, dairy, meat and poultry - can either be sold directly to consumers with little or no processing, or remain readily identifiable and defining ingredients after being processed. Research limitations/implications - the findings require testing through a larger-scale survey using primary data. Many local food producers also supply conventional markets. Further research is required into their reasons for doing so and into whether the local food sector can become a significant alternative to conventional food supply chains. Originality/value - the paper maps local food activity in England on a larger scale than attempted hitherto. It contributes to debate over the alternative food economy and provides a basis for further empirical research. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Abstract.
Ilbery B, Watts D, Simpson S, Gilg A, Little J (2006). Mapping local foods: evidence from two English regions.
BRITISH FOOD JOURNAL,
108(2-3), 213-225.
Author URL.
Little J (2006). Rural geography: Processes, responses and experiences in rural restructuring.
EUROPEAN URBAN AND REGIONAL STUDIES,
13(2), 189-191.
Author URL.
Little JK, Kraack A, Panelli R (2005). Womens fear of crime: a rural perspective. Journal of Rural Studies, 21(2), 151-163.
Panelli R, Little JK, Kraack A (2004). A community issue? rural women's feelings of safety and fear in New Zealand.
Gender, Place and Culture,
11(3), 445-466.
Abstract:
A community issue? rural women's feelings of safety and fear in New Zealand.
A paper examining how women experience fear in rural New Zealand and how this is mediated by the construction of community in rural areas.
Abstract.
Panelli R, Kraak A, Little JK (2004). Claiming space and community: rural women's strategies for living with, and beyond, fear.
Geoforum,
36(4), 495-508.
Abstract:
Claiming space and community: rural women's strategies for living with, and beyond, fear
An examination of the co-construction of fear and community amongst women living in rural areas of New Zealand and the UK
Abstract.
Little J (2003). 'Riding the rural love train': Heterosexuality and the rural community.
Sociologia Ruralis,
43(4), 401-417.
Abstract:
'Riding the rural love train': Heterosexuality and the rural community
This paper examines the relationship between rurality and heterosexuality. It argues that in discussing the spatialisation of sexual identity in rural areas, previous research has concentrated either on homosexuality or masculinity in isolation. As is common in research generally, little attention has been given to the construction and performance of heterosexuality. Using two case study examples, one from the UK and one from New Zealand, the paper examines the centrality of conventional notions of heterosexuality to rural (and particularly farming) relationships. It suggests that ideas about the suitability of partners and spouses conform to highly traditional notions of heterosexuality. This particularly evident in the context of farming masculinities and the relationship between 'natural' masculinity and acceptable femininity. Ideas about the farmer's wife are shown to incorporate highly conventional assumptions not only about gender role but also feminine sexuality.
Abstract.
Little JK, Leyshon M (2003). Embodied Rural Geographies: developing research agendas.
Progress in Human Geography,
27(3), 257-272.
Abstract:
Embodied Rural Geographies: developing research agendas
This paper responds to the scarcity of work on rural embodiment. We argue that a consideration
of ‘the body’ can contribute significantly to an understanding of rural social relations
and communities. In particular, this paper provides an additional critical dimension to the
understanding of the relationship between changing femininities, masculinities, rurality and the
performance of sexuality in rural areas. It shows how dominant constructions of rural
masculinity and femininity incorporate highly traditional assumptions about the body and
reflect conventional attitudes to sexuality and gender identity. This paper gathers together some
partial and underdeveloped ideas and data in the production of a more coordinated and
sustained consideration of embodiment and rurality, and details some emerging research
directions.
Abstract.
Little JK, Panelli R (2003). Gender research in rural geography.
Gender, Place and Culture,
10(3), 281-289.
Abstract:
Gender research in rural geography
A review article identifying trends in recent research in gender and rural geography.
Abstract.
Little, J. (2003). Riding the Rural Love Train: heterosexuality and the rural community. Sociologia Ruralis, 43(4), 401-417.
Little J (2002). Rural geography: Rural gender identity and the performance of masculinity and femininity in the countryside. Progress in Human Geography, 26(5), 665-670.
Halliday J, Little J (2001). Amongst women: Exploring the reality of rural childcare. Sociologia Ruralis, 41(4), 423-437.
Little J (2001). Civility in an English village.
SOCIOLOGY-THE JOURNAL OF THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION,
35(4), 1005-1007.
Author URL.
Little J (2001). New rural governance?. Progress in Human Geography, 25(1), 97-102.
Little J, Jones O (2000). Masculinity, gender, and rural policy.
RURAL SOCIOLOGY,
65(4), 621-639.
Author URL.
Little JK (1996). Tourism: a gender analysis - Kinnaird,V, Hall,D.
ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY,
72(1), 103-104.
Author URL.
Chapters
Little J, Garland FS (2016). Children, Domestic Violence and Prevention: What do Family Intervention Workers Have to Offer?. In (Ed) 'Domestic Violence. Interdisciplinary perspectives on protection, prevention and intervention', Palgrave MacMillan.
Garland FS, Little J (2016). Children, Domestic Violence and Prevention: What do Family Intervention Workers Have to Offer?. In Hilder S, Bettinson V (Eds.)
Domestic Violence. Interdisciplinary perspectives on protection, prevention and intervention, Chapter 6: Palgrave MacMillan.
Abstract:
Children, Domestic Violence and Prevention: What do Family Intervention Workers Have to Offer?
Abstract.
Little J (2015). Rural Geography. In (Ed)
International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences: Second Edition, 795-800.
Abstract:
Rural Geography
Abstract.
Little JK (2015). The development of feminist perspectives in rural gender studies. In (Ed)
Feminisms and Ruralities, Lanham: Lexington Books, 107-118.
Abstract:
The development of feminist perspectives in rural gender studies
Abstract.
Little J (2012). Healthy rural bodies? Embodied approaches to the study of rural women’s health. In (Ed) Rural Women's Health, 367-384.
Little J (2012). The new therapeutic spaces of the Spa. In (Ed) Wellbeing and Place, 217-230.
Little J (2009). Gender and Rurality. In (Ed)
International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, 315-319.
Abstract:
Gender and Rurality
Abstract.
Pain R, Smith S (2008). Nature, fear and rurality. In (Ed)
Fear: Critical Geopolitics of Everyday Life, Guildford: Ashgate.
Abstract:
Nature, fear and rurality.
Abstract.
Little JK (2006). Embodiment and rural masculinity. In Bell, M M, Campbell, H, Finney, M (Eds.) Country Boys: masculinity and rural life, Pennsylvania: Penn State Univesity Press, 183-203.
Little JK (2006). Gender and Sexuality. In Cloke, P, Marsden, T, Mooney, P (Eds.) Handbook of Rural Studies, London: Sage, 365-378.
Little J (2006). Gender and sexuality in rural communities. In (Ed) Handbook of Rural Studies, 365-378.
Cloke P, Little J (2005). Conclusion: Marginality and rural others. In (Ed) Contested Countryside Cultures: Rurality and Socio-cultural Marginalisation, 264-276.
Little J (2005). Employment marginality and women's self-identity. In (Ed) Contested Countryside Cultures: Rurality and Socio-cultural Marginalisation, 133-151.
Morris C, Little JK (2005). Rural Work: an overview of women's experiences. In Little JK, Morris C (Eds.) Critical Studies in Rural Gender Issues, Aldershot: Ashgate, 9-26.
Little JK, Panelli R (2005). Women and crime: a rural perspective. In Little J, Morris C (Eds.) Critical studies in rural gender issues, Aldershot: Ashgate, 141-158.
Conferences
Panelli R, Kraack A, Little J (2005). Claiming space and community: rural women's strategies for living with, and beyond, fear.
Author URL.
Reports
Winter DM, Lobley M, Johnson G, Reed M, Little J (2004). Rural Stress Review. RSIN, Rural Solution.
Publications by year
In Press
Little JK, Pain R, Panelli R, Kindon S (In Press). Moments in everyday/distant geopolitics: Young people’s fears and hopes. Geoforum, 41, 972-982.
Little JK (In Press). Nature, Well-being and the Transformational Self.
Geographical JournalAbstract:
Nature, Well-being and the Transformational Self
This paper explores nature as an actor in the management of the fit body and the self. Using Foucault’s ideas on the care of the self and bodily discipline the paper shows how contemporary fitness holidays frame both the ideas and the practices of fitness as transformative and natural. Research from fitness holidays in the UK and Europe is presented to examine the ways in which a ‘return to nature’ is used to repair and discipline the body. Well-being is seen as part of a journey in which the body is transformed via natural forms of exercise, relaxation and dieting from poor health to fitness. Such transformation it is argued, however, is prescribed by conventional aspirations and expectations surrounding the appropriate body and a desire for weight loss.
Abstract.
Little JK, Ilbery B, Watts D, Gilg A, Simpson S (In Press). Regionalisation and the rescaling of agro-food governance: case study evidence from two English regions.
Political GeographyAbstract:
Regionalisation and the rescaling of agro-food governance: case study evidence from two English regions
Some researchers detected a new-found subsidiarity in rural policy after England’s 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease epidemic, with regional and sub-regional institutions working together to implement an economic recovery strategy. While such research began to link debates on the new regionalism and the re-scaling of agro-food governance, its conception of the latter focused too narrowly on the ‘turn to quality’, thereby overlooking other important aspects of food relocalisation. Based on interviews conducted in England’s South West and West Midlands regions, this paper examines whether the attitudes of key actors from regional and sub-regional governance institutions provided a sound basis for partnership working on the food relocalisation policies recommended in the Government’s Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food. It finds different attitudes on the part of regional and sub-regional actors, with the former favouring regional foods and the latter local foods. Despite scepticism from both groups about the ability of the England Rural Development Programme (2000-2006) to promote food relocalisation, grants were awarded to both regional and local food entrepreneurs, suggesting that the programme contributed more to food relocalisation than previously thought.
Abstract.
Little JK (In Press). Transformational Tourism, Nature and Well-being: new perspectives on fitness and the body. Sociologia Ruralis, 52, 257-271.
2020
Little J (2020). Violence, the Body and the Spaces of Intimate War.
Geopolitics,
25(5), 1118-1137.
Abstract:
Violence, the Body and the Spaces of Intimate War
This paper explores the relationship between domestic violence and rurality through the theoretical lens of intimate war. It argues for a geopolitical perspective that foregrounds issues of space and scale and emphasises the ‘entwined geographies of corporality and violence’. Drawing on recent empirical research in the UK, I explore the ways in which the body is contained and controlled both physically and emotionally through intimate war. In doing so I focus on three key aspects of domestic violence: hidden geographies, tactics of entrapment and surveillance and the wounding of the body. The context of rurality provides a set of spatial and social characteristics that need to be taken into consideration in understandings of the experience of domestic violence and the responses by agencies and professionals.
Abstract.
2019
Little J (2019). Editorial: Emotional geography and Transactions. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 44(2), 210-213.
2018
Watts D, Little J, Ilbery B (2018). ‘I am pleased to shop somewhere that is fighting the supermarkets a little bit’. A cultural political economy of alternative food networks.
Geoforum,
91, 21-29.
Abstract:
‘I am pleased to shop somewhere that is fighting the supermarkets a little bit’. A cultural political economy of alternative food networks
This paper conducts a cultural political economy (CPE) analysis of consumers’ semiotic and material construals of alternative food networks (AFN). It starts by outlining, in the context of debate over AFN, why CPE is a useful analytical tool. The collection of talk data from 40 respondents, and food consumption data from 20 respondents, is outlined and explained. Talk data reveal that interviewees construe conventional and alternative food networks differently based on values relating to food quality judgements, provenance and trust, and alternativeness. Consumption data demonstrate respondents’ material engagement with conventional and, to a lesser extent, alternative food networks. The paper concludes that CPE is a productive framework for analysing AFN qua a subaltern economic imaginary, and that it can help to set them on ‘firmer’ ground, both ontologically and normatively.
Abstract.
2017
Little J (2017). Running, health and the disciplining of women's bodies: the influence of technology and nature.
Health Place,
46, 322-327.
Abstract:
Running, health and the disciplining of women's bodies: the influence of technology and nature.
This paper explores the relationship between health, the body and exercise through an examination of women's running practices. Drawing on a series of original interviews with women it shows how running reflects anxieties about health and the unruly body and how running practices are firmly linked to ideas about body size and shape and to the 'ghosts' of potential, future illness. The paper then explores the ways in which running practices are shaped by attitudes to technology and by the relationship between nature, environment and the body.
Abstract.
Author URL.
2016
Little J, Garland FS (2016). Children, Domestic Violence and Prevention: What do Family Intervention Workers Have to Offer?. In (Ed) 'Domestic Violence. Interdisciplinary perspectives on protection, prevention and intervention', Palgrave MacMillan.
Garland FS, Little J (2016). Children, Domestic Violence and Prevention: What do Family Intervention Workers Have to Offer?. In Hilder S, Bettinson V (Eds.)
Domestic Violence. Interdisciplinary perspectives on protection, prevention and intervention, Chapter 6: Palgrave MacMillan.
Abstract:
Children, Domestic Violence and Prevention: What do Family Intervention Workers Have to Offer?
Abstract.
Little JK (2016). Understanding Domestic Violence in Rural Spaces: a Research Agenda.
Progress in Human GeographyAbstract:
Understanding Domestic Violence in Rural Spaces: a Research Agenda
This paper responds to calls for geographers to engage critically with the
claim that ‘violence sits in places’ in the analysis of domestic violence in
rural areas. It argues the need to develop conceptual understandings of
the spatialised and embodied experience of domestic violence in the
countryside. Drawing on debates about what counts as violence and on
feminist work on domestic violence as intimate terrorism, the paper
explores ways in which experiences of violence, (and associated fear) are
shaped by particular constructions and performances of rural masculinity
and by the social and cultural relations that continue to characterize rural
communities.
Abstract.
2015
Little J (2015). Rural Geography. In (Ed)
International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences: Second Edition, 795-800.
Abstract:
Rural Geography
Abstract.
Little JK (2015). The development of feminist perspectives in rural gender studies. In (Ed)
Feminisms and Ruralities, Lanham: Lexington Books, 107-118.
Abstract:
The development of feminist perspectives in rural gender studies
Abstract.
2014
Pini B, Brandth B, Little J (2014).
Feminisms and Ruralities., Lexington Books.
Abstract:
Feminisms and Ruralities
Abstract.
2013
Little J (2013). Pampering, well-being and women's bodies in the therapeutic spaces of the spa.
Social and Cultural Geography,
14(1), 41-58.
Abstract:
Pampering, well-being and women's bodies in the therapeutic spaces of the spa
This paper develops and extends recent work in geography on therapeutic landscapes and the body in an examination of pampering practices in the contemporary spa. Drawing on feminist research on health, gender identity and the body, the paper explores the importance of escape, relaxation and other strategies to combat stress on the well-being practices and routines of women. Using original data collected from interviews in two spas in the South West of England, the paper argues that a visit to the spa is increasingly being seen as an important part of women's wider health and bodily maintenance providing a space for relaxation and withdrawal from responsibilities of the home and workplace. The pampering treatments reinforce the therapeutic benefits of the spa creating a sense of luxury and a focus on the self. The paper locates these arguments within the twin theoretical concerns of the 'care of the self' and disciplining the body, suggesting that any attempts to understand the practices and therapies for maintaining bodily well-being must incorporate a recognition of their simultaneous role in regulating the size and shape of women's bodies. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
Abstract.
Little J (2013). Rural. Key Ideas in Geography.
PROGRESS IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY,
37(2), 321-323.
Author URL.
2012
Little J (2012). Healthy rural bodies? Embodied approaches to the study of rural women’s health. In (Ed) Rural Women's Health, 367-384.
Little J (2012). The new therapeutic spaces of the Spa. In (Ed) Wellbeing and Place, 217-230.
Little J (2012). ‘Pampering, Well-Being and Women’s Bodies in the Therapeutic Spaces of the Spa’. Social and Cultural Geography
2010
Ilbery B, Watts D, Little J, Gilg A, Simpson S (2010). Attitudes of food entrepreneurs towards two grant schemes under the first England Rural development Programme, 2000-2006.
Land Use Policy,
27(3), 683-689.
Abstract:
Attitudes of food entrepreneurs towards two grant schemes under the first England Rural development Programme, 2000-2006
Grant schemes introduced under the first England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) (2000–2006)
have been subjected to limited academic research and this paper aims to fill this gap by examining the
attitudes of food entrepreneurs in two contiguous English regions to two key elements of the ERDP: the
Processing and Marketing Grant (PMG) and the Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES).
Abstract.
2009
Little J (2009). Gender and Rurality. In (Ed)
International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, 315-319.
Abstract:
Gender and Rurality
Abstract.
Little J, Ilbery B, Watts D (2009). Gender, consumption and the relocalisation of food: a research agenda.
Sociologia Ruralis,
49(3), 201-217.
Abstract:
Gender, consumption and the relocalisation of food: a research agenda
This article adopts a gendered approach to the study of alternative/ local food consumption. Drawing on Allen and Sachs' three analytical domains, the article explores material, sociocultural and embodied conceptualisations of the relationship of women with alternative food consumption. Using original data collected from a study of food relocalisation in the UK, it argues that a gendered perspective that examines responsibilities for food preparation and for provisioning the household is important in understanding the motivation for and implications of decisions to consume local food. Local food consumption often involves consumers in choices over not only what they eat but how they cook, encouraging a move away from processed food and a greater emphasis on raw food and cooking from scratch. Such shifts have a disproportionate effect on women as they are still largely responsible for feeding the household. The article also explores ways in which social pressures around healthy eating and bodily fitness, particularly in relation to children's eating patterns, are increasingly relevant to local food consumption arguing. Again, such pressures fall unequally on different members of the household and are central to a gendered analysis of food consumption. © Journal compilation © 2009 European Society for Rural Sociology.
Abstract.
2008
Pain R, Smith S (2008). Nature, fear and rurality. In (Ed)
Fear: Critical Geopolitics of Everyday Life, Guildford: Ashgate.
Abstract:
Nature, fear and rurality.
Abstract.
2007
Little J, Panelli R (2007). 'Outback' romance? a reading of nature and heterosexuality in rural Australia.
Sociologia Ruralis,
47(3), 173-188.
Abstract:
'Outback' romance? a reading of nature and heterosexuality in rural Australia
This article examines the relationship between the sexuality and understandings of nature. Employing a case of 'romance'in 'outback'Australia, we dissolve the boundaries between 'nature' and 'society' to show some of the varied ways in which the construction and performance of heterosexuality is shaped by (and is integral to) dominant ways of knowing nature. In practical terms, we draw on a reality TV series in which single men in 'outback' Australia ('bush bachelors') advertise for potential partners ('sheilas') from the UK. The series charts the development of the relationships as they are played out in remote parts of Western Australia. In this article we critically read the series and draw out three key themes characterising the relationality of nature and heterosexuality. Initially, we look at how nature frames the expectation and reality of sexual relationships in the 'outback', particularly in terms of its power and hostility. We then explore the centrality of nature to constructions of 'outback' masculinity and the way such constructions dominate the heterosexual relationships that develop between the couples. Finally, we show how a further dynamic of the nature/sexuality relationship involves the expectation of a particular kind of femininity as appropriate to the physical, social and cultural nature of the 'outback'. © 2007 the Authors. Journal Compilation © 2007 European Society for Rural Sociology.
Abstract.
Little JK (2007). Constructing nature in the performance of rural heterosexualities. Environment and Planning D Society and Space, 25(5), 851-866.
Little J (2007). Gender and geography in the United Kingdom, 1980-2006.
Documents d'Analisi Geografica(49), 57-72.
Abstract:
Gender and geography in the United Kingdom, 1980-2006
This paper discusses the progress of feminist geography in the UK over the past 25 years. The first part of the paper refers to the earlier books and articles to establish key «moments» in the development of feminist geography in the UK; the second part goes on to document more recent developments in feminist geography such as the adoption of the concept of gender identity; the third section attempts to illustrate the main developments in feminist geography in the UK through reference to my own area of research, rural geography. Finally the paper briefly examines, by way of conclusion, the development of feminist geography in the UK in the context of teaching.
Abstract.
Little J (2007). Gender and geography: Developments in the United Kingdom 1980-2006.
BELGEO(3), 335-348.
Abstract:
Gender and geography: Developments in the United Kingdom 1980-2006
This paper outlines the progress of feminist geography in the UK over the past 25 years, drawing on just some of the rich texts that have been produced. It charts the development of the sub-discipline through the key theoretical shifts. Within this discussion it pays particular attention to recent developments in feminist geography in the UK. It examines the ways in which geographers have adopted the concept of gender identity enabling them to explore more effectively the differing experiences between and within genders. The paper also shows how work on sexuality and the body has had a growing influence on the study of gender and on the construction and experience of identity. Using the example of rural geography, the paper goes on to explore how feminist approaches have influenced a particular sub-area of geography over the past 30 years. The paper ends by asserting that while there is much to celebrate in the development of feminist geography in the UK, there is still a need for a continued emphasis on gender equality.
Abstract.
2006
Little JK (2006). Embodiment and rural masculinity. In Bell, M M, Campbell, H, Finney, M (Eds.) Country Boys: masculinity and rural life, Pennsylvania: Penn State Univesity Press, 183-203.
Little JK (2006). Gender and Sexuality. In Cloke, P, Marsden, T, Mooney, P (Eds.) Handbook of Rural Studies, London: Sage, 365-378.
Little J (2006). Gender and sexuality in rural communities. In (Ed) Handbook of Rural Studies, 365-378.
Ilbery B, Watts D, Simpson S, Gilg A, Little J (2006). Mapping local foods: Evidence from two English regions.
British Food Journal,
108(3), 213-225.
Abstract:
Mapping local foods: Evidence from two English regions
Purpose - This paper sets out to engage with current debate over local foods and the emergence of what has been called an alternative food economy and to examine the distribution of local food activity in the South West and West Midlands regions of England. Design/methodology/approach - Databases on local food activity were constructed for each region from secondary sources. The data were mapped by means of choropleth mapping at postcode district level. Findings - Although local food activity is flourishing in the South West and, to a lesser extent, the West Midlands, it is unevenly distributed. Concentrations occur in both regions. These may relate to a variety of factors, including: proximity to urban centres and particular trunk roads, landscape designations and the geography of farming types. The products that tend to predominate - horticulture, dairy, meat and poultry - can either be sold directly to consumers with little or no processing, or remain readily identifiable and defining ingredients after being processed. Research limitations/implications - the findings require testing through a larger-scale survey using primary data. Many local food producers also supply conventional markets. Further research is required into their reasons for doing so and into whether the local food sector can become a significant alternative to conventional food supply chains. Originality/value - the paper maps local food activity in England on a larger scale than attempted hitherto. It contributes to debate over the alternative food economy and provides a basis for further empirical research. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Abstract.
Ilbery B, Watts D, Simpson S, Gilg A, Little J (2006). Mapping local foods: evidence from two English regions.
BRITISH FOOD JOURNAL,
108(2-3), 213-225.
Author URL.
Little J (2006). Rural geography: Processes, responses and experiences in rural restructuring.
EUROPEAN URBAN AND REGIONAL STUDIES,
13(2), 189-191.
Author URL.
2005
Panelli R, Kraack A, Little J (2005). Claiming space and community: rural women's strategies for living with, and beyond, fear.
Author URL.
Cloke P, Little J (2005). Conclusion: Marginality and rural others. In (Ed) Contested Countryside Cultures: Rurality and Socio-cultural Marginalisation, 264-276.
Little JK (eds)(2005).
Critical studies in rural gender issues. Aldershot, Ashgate.
Abstract:
Critical studies in rural gender issues
Abstract.
Little J (2005). Employment marginality and women's self-identity. In (Ed) Contested Countryside Cultures: Rurality and Socio-cultural Marginalisation, 133-151.
Morris C, Little JK (2005). Rural Work: an overview of women's experiences. In Little JK, Morris C (Eds.) Critical Studies in Rural Gender Issues, Aldershot: Ashgate, 9-26.
Little JK, Panelli R (2005). Women and crime: a rural perspective. In Little J, Morris C (Eds.) Critical studies in rural gender issues, Aldershot: Ashgate, 141-158.
Little JK, Kraack A, Panelli R (2005). Womens fear of crime: a rural perspective. Journal of Rural Studies, 21(2), 151-163.
2004
Panelli R, Little JK, Kraack A (2004). A community issue? rural women's feelings of safety and fear in New Zealand.
Gender, Place and Culture,
11(3), 445-466.
Abstract:
A community issue? rural women's feelings of safety and fear in New Zealand.
A paper examining how women experience fear in rural New Zealand and how this is mediated by the construction of community in rural areas.
Abstract.
Panelli R, Kraak A, Little JK (2004). Claiming space and community: rural women's strategies for living with, and beyond, fear.
Geoforum,
36(4), 495-508.
Abstract:
Claiming space and community: rural women's strategies for living with, and beyond, fear
An examination of the co-construction of fear and community amongst women living in rural areas of New Zealand and the UK
Abstract.
Winter DM, Lobley M, Johnson G, Reed M, Little J (2004). Rural Stress Review. RSIN, Rural Solution.
2003
Little J (2003). 'Riding the rural love train': Heterosexuality and the rural community.
Sociologia Ruralis,
43(4), 401-417.
Abstract:
'Riding the rural love train': Heterosexuality and the rural community
This paper examines the relationship between rurality and heterosexuality. It argues that in discussing the spatialisation of sexual identity in rural areas, previous research has concentrated either on homosexuality or masculinity in isolation. As is common in research generally, little attention has been given to the construction and performance of heterosexuality. Using two case study examples, one from the UK and one from New Zealand, the paper examines the centrality of conventional notions of heterosexuality to rural (and particularly farming) relationships. It suggests that ideas about the suitability of partners and spouses conform to highly traditional notions of heterosexuality. This particularly evident in the context of farming masculinities and the relationship between 'natural' masculinity and acceptable femininity. Ideas about the farmer's wife are shown to incorporate highly conventional assumptions not only about gender role but also feminine sexuality.
Abstract.
Little JK, Leyshon M (2003). Embodied Rural Geographies: developing research agendas.
Progress in Human Geography,
27(3), 257-272.
Abstract:
Embodied Rural Geographies: developing research agendas
This paper responds to the scarcity of work on rural embodiment. We argue that a consideration
of ‘the body’ can contribute significantly to an understanding of rural social relations
and communities. In particular, this paper provides an additional critical dimension to the
understanding of the relationship between changing femininities, masculinities, rurality and the
performance of sexuality in rural areas. It shows how dominant constructions of rural
masculinity and femininity incorporate highly traditional assumptions about the body and
reflect conventional attitudes to sexuality and gender identity. This paper gathers together some
partial and underdeveloped ideas and data in the production of a more coordinated and
sustained consideration of embodiment and rurality, and details some emerging research
directions.
Abstract.
Little JK, Panelli R (2003). Gender research in rural geography.
Gender, Place and Culture,
10(3), 281-289.
Abstract:
Gender research in rural geography
A review article identifying trends in recent research in gender and rural geography.
Abstract.
Little, J. (2003). Riding the Rural Love Train: heterosexuality and the rural community. Sociologia Ruralis, 43(4), 401-417.
2002
Little JK (2002). Gender and Rural Geography: identity, sexuality and power in the countryside., Prentice Hall.
Little J (2002). Rural geography: Rural gender identity and the performance of masculinity and femininity in the countryside. Progress in Human Geography, 26(5), 665-670.
2001
Halliday J, Little J (2001). Amongst women: Exploring the reality of rural childcare. Sociologia Ruralis, 41(4), 423-437.
Little J (2001). Civility in an English village.
SOCIOLOGY-THE JOURNAL OF THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION,
35(4), 1005-1007.
Author URL.
Little J (2001). New rural governance?. Progress in Human Geography, 25(1), 97-102.
2000
Little J, Jones O (2000). Masculinity, gender, and rural policy.
RURAL SOCIOLOGY,
65(4), 621-639.
Author URL.
1996
Little JK (1996). Tourism: a gender analysis - Kinnaird,V, Hall,D.
ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY,
72(1), 103-104.
Author URL.
