The purpose of the project this book is based upon was to develop a deeper understanding of rural youth and their participation and agency in school and wider society. As noted in Chapter 1 and discussed in detail in Chapter 7, a major motivation for this was to address metrocentricity in previous research and thus broaden theoretical understanding of spatial justice and relations in education. As also noted in Chapter 1, the Swedish education system seems to be ostensibly open and inclusive, providing well-attended institutional education or day-care, regardless of children’s social class, gender or racial or ethnic heritage or any possible disabilities (Beach & Dyson, 2016). The OECD (2005) suggests this is internationally remarkable (also Beach, 2018). However, perhaps equally remarkably, the investments have not significantly reduced levels of gender, racial and ethnic disparities in social and material distributions of power in society at large (Swedish Ministry for Social Affairs and Health, 2010; OECD, 2005). Moreover, as various authors have pointed out (e.g., Åberg-Bengtsson, 2009; Beach, From, Johansson & Öhrn, 2018; Fjellman, Yang Hansen & Beach, 2018), rural-urban disparities seem to have both diversified and expanded in recent decades.

Collectively the chapters in this book provide insights into several neglected aspects of education in rural spaces. First, they show that relevant conditions in rural areas are much less homogenous than often implied in metrocentric research. However, despite the variations there are consistent patterns of continued social and educational inequities between rural and urban areas. Previous research has shown that cities have grown and developed, whilst almost half of the country’s rural municipalities have smaller populations today than three decades ago (Fjellman, Yang Hansen & Beach, 2018). Moreover, partly due to changes driven by the increasing marketisation of education, schools are closing in rural areas and pupils have to travel more often, for longer times and distances (at greater costs with less state subsidy) to obtain their education than before (Fjellman et al, 2018). Thus, in terms of access to educational resources, there is discrimination against pupils from rural areas. The analyses described in the previous chapters detected two main responses by pupils and teachers in the rural areas to their inferior position in relation to peers in urban settings. Some seemed to accept it, and tried to mitigate its adverse consequences, while others criticised the metrocentricity, current denial of their rural material and social hardships, and neglect of their assets....