Bourdieu and African Americans’ Park Visitation: The Case of Cedar Hill State Park in Texas

ABSTRACT

This study used Pierre Bourdieu's theory of practice to understand African Americans’ underrepresentation at Cedar Hill State Park (CHSP) in Texas. Archival methods, site visits, and face-to-face interviews were conducted with 13 local African Americans. Four salient themes related to African Americans’ under-representation were identified: (1) racial conflict within the field, (2) CHSP as a racialized space, (3) African American leisure habitus, and (4) lack of relevant attractions. These themes were closely related and together showed that perceived racial discrimination was a common factor which explained nonvisitation at CHSP.

KEYWORDS:

• African Americans
• Bourdieu
• park visitation
• racism
• theory of practice