Urban Farmers and Cowboy Coders: Re-Imagining Rural Venturing in the 21st Century

Across the social sciences, there is a growing recognition that rural innovation and entrepreneurship are at the frontlines of responding to increasing dynamism and complexity in social, cultural, and economic environments. Yet, a review of the disparate literatures on rural venturing reveals that this research has largely escaped the attention of management and entrepreneurship scholars. Our analysis suggests that scholarly progress has been forestalled by three interconnected research practices: gap-spotting scholarship, decontextualized theory-building, and an allegiance to binary oppositions. In response to the challenges posed by these practices, this article identifies three alternative, multiparadigmatic research tools to enhance the effectiveness of management scholars in contributing to multidisciplinary fields of inquiry such as rural entrepreneurship: problematization, hybridization, and contextualization. Through the application of these tools, we develop new avenues to consider the complex interplay between community, space, and place; novel innovation pathways; the power of traditional values and contexts; and the varied nature of modern business venturing. Our work also contributes fresh perspectives on the manner in which management scholars can offer more effective conceptual leadership in multidisciplinary fields to theorize complex phenomena.