The Scottish Government defines rurality in the Urban Rural Classification specifically in terms of population density and accessibility. As such, rurality is defined in relation to the urban, and accessibility is framed in terms of the rural’s remoteness from the urban. Although the majority of Scotland’s population resides in urban communities, we contend that it does not therefore follow that this determines our understanding of rurality, especially given the fact that many life outcomes are better in rural communities. We argue that to understand the complexities and value of rural life, a more nuanced approach to thinking rurality is required. In our presentation we will ask: how can creative methodologies be applied to challenge the normative assumptions which determine the rural in opposition to the urban?

In order to begin to define rurality for and of itself, we will present ways of being and doing which are exemplified in the stories and narratives of rural life. Storying has long been used to preserve and transmit cultural heritage and traditions in rural Scotland. It therefore is a powerful tool for the future which can create meanings and narratives that develop new connections, challenging sedimented ways of thinking to transform culture. As communities grapple with the challenges and opportunities brought by globalisation and the pace of technological change, re-telling cultural stories can build upon traditional rural practices while also adapting to and engaging with contemporary realities, reimagining new narratives for future rural heritages. We conceive storying as a kind of place-making; an agentic engagement with heritage futures.