(Re)searching post-socialist rural youth: towards a nuanced understanding

This chapter proposes a tripartite framework for gaining a more nuanced under- standing of post-socialist rural space in general and the lives of young people in post-socialist rural places in particular. Drawing on the work of Keith Halfacree, 1 we propose a tripartite framework comprising a) structural aspects, b) representa- tions of rural life, and c) lived experiences of rural young people. Rather than advocating a specific methodology for data collection or analysis, we propose a set of guidelines and focal points for researchers investigating the post-socialist rural context. In order to explore and expand the tripartite framework, we draw on our fieldwork carried out during 2009-2012 in seven different rural locations in post- socialist Estonia.