Inside/outside the Western 'Bubble': The nexus of adventure, adventure sports and perceptions of risk in UK and Mauritius

Globalization can be thought of as the widening, deepening and quickening of the worldwide interconnections in social, cultural, political and economic life (Held et al., 1999). For adventure sports enthusiasts from the West, this has opened up the world for them to pursue their activities in more ‘exotic’ natural locations. Marketing of adventure holidays has increased with the greater ease of travelling to suitable geographical locations, providing apparently ‘authentic’ adventure experiences1. Whilst adventure sports and the notion of risk in ‘exotic’ locations have been explored in some ‘visitor expectation’ literature (Swarbrooke, et al.,2003), little or no research has examined the nexus of local cultural understandings and practice of adventure, and Western perceptions of adventure risk. In this paper, I consider the ways in which adventure and risk are perceived and understood from educational and sociological Western perspectives. Critiques of adventure education and activities provision are made highlighting concerns around the ‘packaging’ of these experiences through the notion of MacDonaldisation. This is further developed through attention to the commodification of adventure sports and adventure holidays, drawing attention to the ways in which consumers are encouraged to ‘buy into’ the product without fully understanding the skills and experience needed to participate with, on occasions, dire consequences. The paper then goes on to explore different cultural understandings of risk through an auto/ethnography of the Mauritian experience as both University lecturer and a recreational windsurfer at a world renowned European managed wind surfing centre

Older women, embodiment & yoga practice

In this paper, we consider the ageing body and the ‘body techniques’ practised by older women within their yoga classes. The paper emphasises the importance of exploring alternative definitions of the human condition, how these are shaped and assembled through particular embodied practices which are realised personally and socially. Taking a contextualised phenomenological approach, older women’s experiences are made visible through interview and participant observation. Unlike much sporting practice, the body techniques managed by the women did not emphasise sporting prowess but provided for an integration of body and mind. In the process, biological ageing was accepted yet the women maintained control over the process, troubling prevailing narratives of ageing, declining control and increasing weakness that are taken for granted in much of Western society. The paper highlights the significance of socially rooted ontological embodiment in understanding the ageing body and particular bodily practices

Adventurous activities, embodiment and nature: spiritual, sensual and sustainable? Embodying environmental justice

This paper examines research on adventurous physical activities in nature from the perspective of the sentient body. Drawing upon ethnographic and autoethnographic research, I examine what has been termed 'peak' happenings or 'flow' which many who practise adventurous activities claim to experience through their whole body when in the 'zone'. I consider the concept of 'edgework', voluntary risk-taking, and insightful mobile and social understanding of the relationships between body, emotions and the elements, where the adventurous activity is experienced and interpreted as oneness with nature or expressed as 'spiritual' not only in high but also low risk nature-based sport. I then consider if and in what ways these knowledges may bring about greater understanding and action in relation to social and environmental justice. I argue that adventurous activities/nature-based sport may provide processes and practices that are alternative or complementary to traditional sporting 'body techniques' or 'body pedagogics'. I suggest that modern embodied adventurous practices in nature challenge dominant narratives of body/mind separation and potentially provide a pedagogic process fostering kinetic empathy. Finally I draw attention to the paradox of (re)-presenting sensorial experiences of sport in nature and ask for consideration on how we interconnect with the environment when we participate in adventureous nature-based sports

Editorial update

Taylor and Francis have published JAEOL for eight years. During that time the Journal has gone from strength to strength, most notably increasing from two issues a year in 2006 to four issues in 2015 and there has been a number of special issues: Journey(s)  vol. 10 (2); Outdoor and Adventure Therapy vol. 11(2); Cultural Perspectives on Experiential Learning in Outdoor Spaces vol. 12 (3); Outdoor Play and Learning in Early Childhood from Cultural Perspectives vol. 13 (3); and Space, Place and Sustainability and the Role of Outdoor Education vol. 14 (3).  The forthcoming special issue focuses on Adventure and the call for inclusion in that edition closes in March 2016. A themed issue focusing on Latin America is in progress and due in 2016.  If you wish to propose a special issue please visit the website and read the special issue guidelines available at http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/pdf/education/SI_guidelines_JAEOL.pdf. Do refer to the aims and scope of the Journal when developing your theme

In splendid isolation - Is the field missing something?

It can be argued that much research in outdoor sport and outdoor activities has been undertaken and represented in ‘splendid isolation’ without recourse to research and theorizing from major disciplines. Wagner (1993) refers to the collective ignorance in educational research making reference to ‘blank’ and ‘blind’ spots. Blank spots are known areas such as theories and perspectives which are seen to require further questioning, whilst blind spots are those which are not known or cared about and so are ignored. This paper considers the way in which interpretative research may be utilized to uncover ‘blank’ and ‘blind’ spots in outdoor sport and adventurous activities. It highlights the significance of a number of theoretical perspectives for making sense of the outdoors as a social and cultural phenomenon. Finally, it draws attention to ethnographic and life-history research and associated epistemological, methodological and ethical issues providing some examples.This paper is a bricolage in which I, the bricoleur, 1bring together a variety of thought, research and praxis and argue for greater engagement of outdoor sport and education with a diversity of social perspectives (Humberstone, Brown and Richards, 2003). I begin by offering the opportunity of engaging with C. Wright Mills’ notion of sociological imagination. I then draw attention to Wagner’s (1993) blank and blind sports in education and highlight these in theoretical perspectives and research in outdoor sport, education and research methodologies. Next I discuss interpretative research approaches which can provide for more inclusive research that reaches out to other disciplines and other perspectives. Finally, I will provide examples of such methodologies adopted in outdoor education research

When I grow old...Third age and leisure research: principles and practice - introduction

It [the increasing proportion of older people] is such a fundamental change in the nature and structure of society that it should lead to a fundamental shift in the way that society is understood and the way that society deals with itself. (Walker, n.d.) The 21st century has become known as the ‗Silver Century‘, the century of the older person (Magnus, 2008). In the vanguard of this significant restructuring of the generations, never before seen globally, with increasingly fewer young people and a greater proportion of older people, is Japanese society. The UK and other advanced and developed countries are not demographically far behind. The ‗Baby Boomer‘ generation born around the end of World War II (1945–1962) is retired or about to retire1 and is set to make up a significant proportion of Western civilisation. Yet society is still very much attuned to the younger generations, whose members may regard the older generation as without cultural, social, economic or political significance. This ‗structural lag‘, in which ideas about older people and society are ―locked 20 or 30 years in the past‖, Walker (n.d.) argues, is unprecedented and provides for current age discrimination: ―Ageism‖, he says, ―is deeply embedded in society yet the structures of society are changing in a radical way‖. Popular discourse on ageing is largely out of kilter with the experiences of many of the over-60s population who have wealth, whilst there is a significantly contrasting negative position for those without such economic means

The accidental youth worker

Author's note: This is an informal, personal and reflective paper that contains my thoughts and feelings on being invited to participate in the European Outdoor Education Network Seminar, held near Keswick, in October 2012. It includes elements of an article submitted as partial requirements of my MA in Youth Work and Community Development. This, together with the research also conducted as part of the qualification, formed the basis for my workshop delivered at the seminar and provides the foundations for my doctoral research. I will begin by providing a summary of my background with an explanation of how I came to be at the conference. I will then reflect on my experiences and conclude with my future plans

Introduction [International handbook of outdoor studies]

This international compilation brings together current leading scholars in outdoor studies from a variety of disciplines to bring to readers principal ideas and leading-edge developments. We also draw together the strands of outdoor studies into one volume, making the important connections among key threads including education, leisure, physical culture, sport, the outdoor environment and practice

Outdoor learning: primary pupils' experiences and teachers' interaction in outdoor learning

This paper draws upon research undertaken for the Outdoor Pedagogies project and explores the processes of teaching and learning at one outdoor residential education centre with children and staff from ‘Oliver’ Primary School. Data were collected through ethnographic research and include participant observation, interviews with teachers and centre staff and group interviews with pupils. Whilst the interviewed children reflected positively on the experience, we highlight the importance of the teachers' interaction with the children in providing for democratic, shared positive learning through the presentation of an extreme or ‘critical’ incident. We raise the issue of professional development for school teachers working with primary school children in outdoor, residential situations

Well-being and outdoor pedagogies in primary schooling: the nexus of well-being and safety

Society today is inundated by a multitude of messages regarding the risks and dangers that affect youngsters, with media constantly talking about ‘cotton wool’ kids (see Furedi, 1997, 2001, 2006) and an ‘obesity epidemic’ (see Wright and Harwood, 2009). A social panic has been created by the media, which ignores the positive outcomes of risk-taking, sensationalises risks, and focuses on the dangers of the world. In popular discourse contradictions are in evidence, on the one hand adults are concerned about the safety of young children; on the other hand many argue that society wraps children in ‘cotton wool’ such that they are denied opportunities to play outdoors for fear of accidents. Research has shown that negotiating risks and relating them to individual capacities is essential for the development of young children and their ability to learn from their mistakes and become aware of their personal health and safety (Fenech, Sumsion, & Goodfellow, 2006). This paper is based on a pilot study that explores young children and their significant others’ perceptions and experiences of risk and safety, looking particularly at the ways in which experiences of outdoor learning may affect the well-being of children. Using an ethnographic approach the research examines how parents and teachers define well-being, and how being in the outdoors is seen to affect pupils’ well-being. This paper, a work in progress, asks if and how outdoor activities, through outdoor learning, contribute to the physical and emotional well-being of young children, briefly touching on theories of power and control