The Community in Rural America, by Kenneth P. Wilkinson, is a foundational theoretical work that both defines the interactional approach to the study of the community in rural areas and frames its application to encourage and promote rural community development. Recognized for its detailed theoretical construction and logic for understanding human interactions, this book has been widely adopted and used by researchers, extension faculty, and community development practitioners for over thirty years. Presenting Wilkinson’s groundbreaking work in its original form, with a new foreword aimed at clarifying several key concepts in interactional theory, this edition of The Community in Rural America will appeal to new students of the community as well as established scholars in the field.

Kenneth P. Wilkinson was distinguished professor of rural sociology at the Pennsylvania State University. His work on the interactional theory of the community and community development has helped shape modern discourse in the field of community sociology. His contributions to the discipline were recognized by his peers through his election as Vice President (1979–1980) and President (1984–1985) of the Rural Sociological Society and Council Member (1988) and President (1992) of the International Rural Sociology Association. He was posthumously given the Distinguished Rural Sociologist Award by the Rural Sociological Society (1994).

Gene L. Theodori is professor of sociology at Sam Houston State University. He teaches, conducts basic and applied research, and writes scientific and popular articles on rural and community development issues, energy and natural resource concerns, and related topics. A central feature of his work involves the design, implementation, and analysis of survey research. The findings from his studies have been published in numerous journal articles, book chapters, research bulletins, and other professional reports. His many honors and awards include the Distinguished Rural Sociologist Award from the Rural Sociological Society. He has served as president of the Southern Rural Sociological Association, coeditor of the Journal of Rural Social Sciences, and treasurer of the International Association for Society and Natural Resources.

Mark A. Brennan is the UNESCO Chair for Community, Leadership, and Youth Development and professor of leadership and community development at the Pennsylvania State University. His teaching, research, writing, and program development concentrate on the role of community and leadership development in the youth, community, and rural development process. All research outputs have been translated into teaching and outreach curriculum to facilitate the transfer of knowledge to a wider international audience. His work has been published in more than two hundred peer-reviewed journals and publications. He is coeditor of Theory, Practice, and Community Development and Creating Caring Communities to Overcome Times of Crisis; author of Community Leadership Development: A Compendium of Theory, Research, and Application; and coauthor of Culture, Community, and Development.