Reflexiones acerca de la delimitación y definición del medio rural. Diseño de un índice de ruralidad para Galicia

Abstract

The task of delimiting and defining rural areas has been, and continues to be, a complex one. Indeed, most social researchers admit to there being an absence of a strict, consensual definition of the term. In this article, a review of scientific literature looking at various conceptualisations of rural areas and their possible boundaries is discussed. Together with this, an Index of Rurality for Galicia is proposed, a region in north western Spain with highly diverse rural areas due to major transformations which have taken place since the middle of last century.