A Path Worth Taking: The Development of Social Justice in Outdoor Experiential Education

This article examines the influences promoting social justice in the field of outdoor experiential education. The philosophical foundations of outdoor adventure including the work of John Dewey and Kurt Hahn are considered in light of social justice education. The historical evolution of social justice activism within the professional community is analyzed. Other influential trends including the development of outdoor programs sensitive to social justice concerns, the cross fertilization from other related fields, and the demographic and economic imperatives to transform the field are described. The methodological fit between outdoor experiential education and social justice education is the final influence presented. The article concludes that potentials for social justice education within the outdoor experiential education field create an imperative for inclusion.

Notes

1. Responses to the keynote speaker at the 1998 AEE conference were retrieved November 10–15, 1998 from the AEEList posted to http://www.aeelist.princeton.edu

2. See the Spring 1985 issue of the Journal of Experiential Education on international perspectives. With the exception of an article by Kalra (1985) all articles are written by white, Western men about their experience overseas. As Hall (1987) notes, “Laudable as some of the efforts might be,…none of the models describe or draw their inspiration or most of their participants from third-world people themselves” (p. 45).

3. Amazon types is a code term for lesbians in this case. Lesbian-baiting has been used in the outdoor adventure field to restrict all women, whether heterosexual or lesbian (McClintock, 1996a; Mitten, 1997).