USD Knudson School of Law Co-Hosts Law and Rurality Workshop
The workshop, held in the historic Iowa Old Capitol Building in November, brought together scholars from Canada, England and the United States to discuss research related to law and rurality.
Knudson School of Law Professor Hannah Haksgaard, J.D., co-organized the event and managed submissions as well as early communications, before handing off planning responsibilities to University of Nebraska College of Law Professor of Law Jessica Shoemaker.
"There are a lot of workshops for law professors, but there had been no regularly scheduled workshop for rural-focused research," Haksgaard said. "By organizing this workshop, we were able to give academics a place to improve their work and inspire more law and rurality research."
Although Haksgaard could not attend in person, USD was represented by Associate Professor Gregory Brazeal, J.D., who traveled to Iowa City for the workshop.
The event featured discussions of in-progress drafts and sessions for incubating future research ideas. Interdisciplinary members of the University of Iowa faculty acted as discussants, facilitating workshop discussions and highlighting key aspects of the works presented.
Participants from various disciplines, including law, sociology, anthropology, planning and history, shared diverse perspectives on topics ranging from climate and renewable energy policy to access to justice and education, rural health care, and land and property issues.
In addition to attending, Brazeal presented a paper titled "Rural Mass Incarceration and the Politics of Punitiveness," contributing to the rich discussions that characterized the workshop.
"Although the proportion of the American population living in rural areas has been declining for over a century, about 20% of the country still lives in rural areas, including small towns. That's a significant part of the country. But scholars sometimes ignore rural areas when talking about national issues like crime and punishment, which is the focus of my research. The Law & Rurality workshop is a rare chance for scholars working in rural areas to get together, share their work, and learn from each other,” said Brazeal.
The history of the workshop dates back to the fall of 2020, when Haksgaard organized an online event with significant support from USD faculty. The success of this initial workshop led to a partnership with Shoemaker, resulting in annual co-hosted events by South Dakota and Nebraska in 2021, 2022 and 2023. This year, the University of Iowa College of Law joined as a host, making the 2024 event a joint effort among the three institutions.
The Law & Rurality Workshop rotates between in-person and online formats to enhance accessibility and foster in-person relationships. It continues to serve as a vital forum for scholars of all levels and disciplines to engage with law and its relation to rural people and places, fostering a collaborative environment for advancing rural-focused legal research.
The next workshop is scheduled to be held online in the fall of 2025.
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