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

Humberstone, Barbara (2013) Adventurous activities, embodiment and nature: spiritual, sensual and sustainable? Embodying environmental justice. Motriz: Revista de Educação Física, 19 (3). pp. 565-571. ISSN 1980-6574

Preview	Text Humberstone, Barbara Adventurous activities.pdf - Draft Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (37kB) | Preview
	Text Humberstone, Barbara Adventurous activities.pdf.txt - Draft Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (35kB)

Abstract

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.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	nature, environmental justice, sentient body
Depositing User:	ULCC Admin
Date Deposited:	29 May 2013 13:31
Last Modified:	04 Dec 2018 10:37
URI:	https://bnu.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/9578

Actions (login required)

Edit Item