Study covers up to 1974; contributed research papers.

Rural poverty is often unseen or misperceived by outsiders. Dr Chambers contends that researchers, scientists, administrators and fieldworkers rarely appreciate the richness and validity of rural people's knowledge or the hidden nature of rural poverty. This is a challenging book for all concerned with rural development, as practitioners, academics, students or researchers.

The struggles of the rural poor against those that exploit and dominate them too often goes unreported. This book, authored by the man who first exposed the deliberate blinding of villagers on trial in Bihar, India, is an unforgettably moving account from the heart of a veritable war being waged in India's rural areas. After introducing the village of Bihar - its history, caste system, class structure and tribal communities - Arun Sinha describes the very different struggles taking place there. He demonstrates the complexity of the economic interests which divide Indian villagers; their lack of a sense of solidarity as peasants; the difficulties they encounter in building effective popular organisations; and their persistent manipulation by the authorities.

Rural poverty encompasses a distinctive deprivation in quality of life related to a lack of educational support and resources as well as unique issues related to geographical, cultural, community, and social isolation. While there have been many studies and accommodations made for the impoverished in urban environments, those impoverished in rural settings have been largely overlooked and passed over by current policy. The Handbook of Research on Leadership and Advocacy for Children and Families in Rural Poverty is an essential scholarly publication that creates awareness and promotes action for the advocacy of children and families in rural poverty and recommends interdisciplinary approaches to support the cognitive, social, and emotional needs of children and families in poverty. Featuring a wide range of topics such as mental health, foster care, and public policy, this book is ideal for academicians, counselors, social workers, mental health professionals, early childhood specialists, school psychologists, administrators, policymakers, researchers, and students.