Back to the countryside (1940s and 1950s).

Rethinking the rural space with Lefebvre’s urban sociology

Abstract

This paper aims to rediscover Henri Lefebvre’s unknown contribution to the debate on the rural question during the last century and establish a connection with his most renowned urban studies. The Anglophone debate in rural sociology has yet to discuss this topic, and there is only partial systematic discussion on Lefebvre’s rural studies. This article’s originality lies in its discussion and reconstruction of Lefebvre’s contribution to the debate on the rural question in France. It supports the thesis that understanding Lefebvre’s intellectual period of reflection on rural space (1940s-1950s) is crucial to comprehending subsequent studies on the urban and the production of space. Consequently, I emphasize the significance of revisiting Lefebvre’s earliest rural studies as a starting point for understanding his urban reflections. This article aims to explain how urban studies are a vital progression that emerges from the social inquiries conducted in rural studies. The radical transformation of nature and the peasant universe brought about by capitalism will lead Lefebvre to delve into the epochal problem of the urban question.