农村空心化及人才流失外文文献翻译中英文Word文件下载.docx

农村空心化及人才流失外文文献翻译中英文Word文件下载.docx

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原文

HollowingOuttheMiddle:

TheRuralBrainDrainandWhatItMeansforAmerica

DougSeale

Forwelloveracenturyatleast,agrarianthinkershavebeenconcernedabouttheimpactofamodernizingandindustrializedsocietyonruralareas.FromLibertyHydeBaileybeginningintheearlytwentiethCenturytoWalterGoldschmidt（AsYouSow,1947）,toWendellBerry（TheUnsettlingofAmerica,1977）,andWesJackson（NewRootsforAgriculture,1980）,peoplewhocareaboutrurallifeandfarminghavebeensoundingthealarmthatallisnotwellintheHeartland.HollowingOuttheMiddleaddstothisliterature,initsownway.ItisanimportantsociologicalcasestudythatfocusesonthereasonsthatmanysmalltownsinruralAmericaaredying.Husbandandwifeteamsociologists,PatrickCarrandMariaKefalasmovedtoasmalltowninNEIowa,atowntheycallEllis（apseudonymasarethenamesofallofthepeopletheyinterviewandprofile）tostudythephenomenonoftheexodusofbrightandtalentedyoungpeople.Theyrefertothisexodusandtheresultinglossofpopulationasthe‘‘hollowingout’’ofruraltowns.Thebookcontainsnodeepphilosophicalorethicalanalysisofagriculturalorenvironmentalvalues,butitprovidesmuchsociologicaldatathatwillgivetheintelligentandawarereadermuchtothinkaboutregardingwhatishappeninginruralAmericansocietyandwhyitishappening.

Theimportanceofthiscasestudyistwo-fold.First,itportraysthelong-termeffectsofAmerica’smovingintowhattheauthorsrefertoasthepost-industrialagebroughtaboutinlargepartbytheriseofagribusinessandtheresultingdemiseofsmallfarmsthatsocharacterizedrurallifebeforeandthatgavesmallruraltownstheirspecialcharacter.ThesecondisCarr’sandKefalas’sfindingthatamajorfactorcontributingtoyoungpeoples’leavingtheseareas,ifnotthemajorfactor,isthebehaviorandattitudesoftheadultswhoareresponsibleforthemintheirformativeyears.Theseadultsareactivelyencouragingtalentedyoungpeopletoleave‘‘forbiggerandbetterthings,’’whileunderstanding,inmanycases,thattheirdeparturecouldspellthedemiseofthetownitself.

Itisimportanttonotethatitisonlyasegmentoftheyouthpopulationthatleaves.Many,especiallythosewhodonothailfromwealthyfamiliesorshowlittleacademicaptitude,arenotgiventheencouragementto‘‘better’’themselves.Indeed,itisoftenassumedthattheywillstayandtrytomakealifeforthemselvesbygettingwhateverlocal,oftenlow-paying,jobsthatremaininagribusinessprocessingplantsorotherrelatedindustries.Intheend,CarrandKefalasdonotthinkthishollowingoutisnecessarilyinevitable.Itiscertainlynotdesirable.Thebookcontainssixchapters,includinganIntroductionandaConcludingchapter.Theauthors’researchthroughoutisthoroughandwell-documented.Thebook’sonlyweakness,inthisreader’sopinion,isthattheauthorsdonotgofarenoughinsomeoftheiranalysesoftherootproblemsoftheruralareastheyarewritingabout,especiallytheimpactoftheriseofindustrialagriculture,butmoreofthatlater.

IntheIntroduction,theauthorslayoutthesocialphenomenontheywanttounderstandandidentifythecausesoftheexodusofyoungpeoplefromruralareasinstateslikeIowa.Tounderstandthishollowing-outofsmalltowns,CarrandKefalaslivedinEllisforayear,conductingtheirresearchbyinterviewingandspeakingwithlocalofficialsandcitizens.Iowawaschosenbecause,astheauthorsexplain,thestate‘‘providesausefulbellwethercase:

OnlyWestVirginialosesalargerpercentageofitscollegegraduatestoout-migration,andbecauseofthislossofyoungadults,Iowaisagingmorequicklythantherestofthenation’’（p.10）.AgeneralimpressiononehasofIowaisthatitisdominatedbyagriculture,butthisimpressionisnotwell-foundedoncurrentrealityastrendssuggest:

‘‘Throughoutthetwentiethcentury,generationsofyoungpeoplecomingofageinthecountrysidedependedonfamilyfarmsorlocalplantsfortheirlivelihood.Astheseismicshiftsinagricultureandmanufacturingmadefirmsandfarmsoutsourceandautomate,ruralregionswitnessedacollapsingdemandforlabor.Withfeweropportunitiesforworkthatpaidadecentwage,moreyoungpeoplefounditnecessarytoabandonthiswayoflife’’（p.5）.WithjusttwopercentofAmericansoperatingfarmsnow,‘‘…independentfarmersbecame‘morelikemodern-daysharecroppers,’and‘theJeffersonianidealofpastorallife’was‘subsumedbythecorporate,agribusinessmodelofmega-farms’,’’theauthorssay,quotingKathrynM.Dudley’sDebtandDispossessions:

FarmLossinAmerica’sHeartland.Theparadox,theauthor’ssay,‘‘wasthatthesinglegreatestcauseoftheruralcrisiswas,morethananythingelse,progress’’.

morethananythingelse,progress’’（p.6）.However,CarrandKefalasdonotdwellonthequestionoftheextenttowhichpolicies,whichonerightlysuspects,favorlargeagribusiness.Nordotheydwellonthetendencytowardsincreasingmechanizationandeverlargerfarmsgrowingthroughtheconsolidationofsmallfarmsassmallfarmersfinditharderandhardertocompete.Tobefair,theauthorsneverindicatethatthesefactorsplayalargepartintheiranalysisandseemtotakethemasgivens.TheproblemfacingruralcommunitieslikeEllis,astheyseeit,istheneedtoadjusttoapost-industrialeconomy.

TheycomparetheplightofruralareaswiththoseofmanyinnercitiessuchasNewYorkandPhiladelphiaandobservethattheproblemsfacingmanycitiesgetfarmoreattentionthanthosefacingdepopulatingandagingruralcommunities.Partofthetragedyisthat‘‘Iowastudentsearnsomeofthenations’highestSATandACTscores’’（p.19）.Sincecollege-educatedyoungpeopleareleavingruralcommunities,CarrandKefalaspointoutthattalentedyoungpeopleconstitutethestate’sgreatestexport.IntheIntroduction,theauthorsalsogivethereaderaglimpseofthefollowingchapters,mostofwhichfocusononeofthethreemajorcategorizationsofyoungpeoplewhomakeuptheirstudy.Theydivideyoungpeopleinto‘‘Achievers,’’‘‘Stayers,’’and‘‘Seekers.’’AchieversandSeekersarethosewho,forvariousreasonschoosetoleave,butsomeofthesechoosetocomebacktotheirhometownsandtheseCarrandKefalastreatinaseparatechapter,‘‘TheReturners.’’

IntheConclusion,theauthorssumuptheirfindingsandofferideasabouthowthehollowingouttrendmightbestemmedorreversed.Thisisimportant,theymaintain,becausesomuchisatstake.Ifthetrendcontinues,thensmalltownswilldisappear,andthis—thelossofeducatedyoungpeople,anageingpopulation,andtheerosionofarobustlocaleconomyis‘‘ultimatelydetrimentalnotonlytotheregionbuttothenationasawhole,’’becausethoseeffectshave‘‘repercussionsfarbeyondtheirboundaries’’（p.ix）.Whethertheirideasproviderealsolutionsremainstobeseen.CarrandKefalasprofiletheAchieversfirst,comparingthemtoanothermajorgroup,theStayers.OneEllisHighSchoolGuidanceCentercounselorsumsupwhatthetownisfacedwith:

‘‘Thebestkidsgo…whiletheoneswiththebiggestproblemsstay,andthenwehavetodealwiththeirkidsintheschoolsinthenextgeneration.’’Thebestandbrightestaregenerallythesonsanddaughtersofthetown’sprofessionalclass.Theyseem,theauthorsnote,tohaveasenseof‘‘manifestdestinyabouthowtheirliveswillunfold,’’leavingtobesuccessfulsomewhereelse（p.29）Theirranks‘‘includetheclassvaledictoriansandthefirstchairsfromtheorchestra,thetrackstarsandstudent-governmentleaders’’（p.30）.Andtheirsuccessseemstohavethesupportoftheentiretown;

theygetmorepositiveattentionfromtheirteachersandothersthanotheryoungpeoplereceive.

Townspeoplehavehighexpectationsfortheseyoung,wearetold,andtheyounguponwhomtheseexpectationsarelaidinternalizethem.Theysoongathertheimpressionthattheyareamongthe‘‘chosen,’’‘‘thatitistheirfate,indeedtheirduty,toleavesmall-townlifebehind.’’Theysoonlearnthat‘‘earninggoodgrades,displayinggoodbehavior,andbeingpraisedinfrontoftheirclassmatescangrantspecialprivilegesandaccesstoadultswhocanhelpthembreakfreeofsmall-townlife’’.

Expectationscanbeginatanearlyage,evenfortalentedchildrenoffairlymodestmeans.Butonthewhole,theseyoungpeopletendtobefromupperclassfamilies.Theauthorsdociteseveralexamplesofyoungpeoplefromfamiliesofmodestmeanswhoseparentsarenotfroma‘‘professional’’class（farmers,forexample）butwho,whenyoung,demonstrateastrongaptitudeforsomeacademicsubjectlikemathorscience.

ForAchievers,collegeisthefirststepinleavingthetown.OncetheseyoungpeoplehaveatasteoftheworldbeyondEllis,somemayfeelconflictedbecausetheyareconfrontedwithpeople,views,andculturesthataredifferentfromwhattheyareaccustomedto.Others,however,relishtheirnew-foundfreedomandthirstformore.Theauthorsmakeclearthatthereisoftenapricetobepaidforleaving.Youngpeoplemakenewfriendsandtakeonnewresponsibilities,andindoingso,leavebehindtheiroldlivesandsmalltownconnections.CarrandKefalasendthischapterbydiscussingtheparadoxentailedbytheprocessthatfacilitatesyoungpeopleleaving:

‘‘Aconundrumliesattheheartoftheruralbraindrain.Smalltownsareespeciallygoodatrecognizing,nurturing,andlaunchingtalentedindividuals.TheyrallytoprepareAchieverstoleave,succeedbrilliantlyindoingso,thenlamentthelossoftheircombinedtalents.TheadultsofEllisaren’tignorantoftheparadoxthattrap