The countryside has long been associated with notions of nation and identity in Britain, yet this association has been a neglected area of inquiry. However, the countryside is changing and rural concerns are high on public agendas. This book explores issues of ethnicity, identity and racialised exclusion in rural Britain, in depth and for the first time. It questions what the countryside 'is', problematises who is seen as belonging to rural spaces, and argues for the recognition of a rural multiculture. The book brings together the latest and most extensive research findings to provide an authoritative account of current theory, policy and practice. Using interdisciplinary frameworks and new empirical data, the book: provides a critical and comprehensive account of the shifting, contested connections between rurality, national identity and ethnicity; discusses the relationships between ethnicity, exclusion, policy, practice and research in a range of rural settings - from the experiences of gypsy traveller children in schools to attempts to encourage black and minority ethnic visitors to National Parks; contributes towards establishing the 'rural-ethnicity-nation' relationship as a key consideration on political and policy agendas. ''The New Countryside?'' is essential reading for students, academics and researchers in a wide range of disciplines including: sociology; geography; social policy; and cultural, rural and environment studies. It will also be an invaluable resource for practitioners and policy makers across a wide range of sectors and services.