Introduction

Abstract

At the beginning of twenty first century, countries of Southern and Mediterranean Europe were immersed in an uneven process of modernization and globalization, both in the material and cultural contexts. This restructuring process has taken a radical hit since the deep crisis faced by Europe over the recent years was particularly harsh in Southern European countries and in its rural territories, which have already been affected by a long-lasting process of abandonment and political neglect. The new risks and impacts occasioned by the financial and economic crisis on rural territories of Southern and Mediterranean Europe emphasise the pertinence of conducting research and study focused on the analysis of the transformations, challenges, and opportunities for rural territories, both in the crisis and the post-crisis era. Born out of the European Society for Rural Sociology Research and Study Group 'Southern and Mediterranean Europe: Social Change, Challenges and Opportunities' members' research and debates, this volume wishes to contribute to the so-far limited debate on the processes and dynamics of rural change and on the opportunities and challenges brought by the crisis, based on case studies from Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Turkey. Especially, this work intends to illustrate the adaptability and versatility of rural areas to the externally induced shocks while contributing to the discussions on the challenges and the opportunities that these processes put forward for those areas. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.