ERIC Number: EJ892538
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Jun
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1472-9679
EISSN: N/A
Asking "Who Are You?" when Going "into the Wild": Moving beyond an Individualized Form of Outdoor Education
Zink, Robyn
Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, v10 n1 p19-32 Jun 2010
The story of Chris McCandless, as told by Jon Krakauer, and more recently by Sean Penn, tells a familiar tale of going alone into the wilderness in search of the truth of oneself. Chris's story provides a parable to explore some of the motifs that inform contemporary outdoor education. In this paper I draw on the work of Michel Foucault and Judith Butler to examine the relationship between going "into the wild" and the construction of knowledge about oneself and others. Of particular interest is Chris's realization that coming to know himself is less of an individual project than a process that involves other people. I suggest that a "reading" of Chris's story may facilitate a more nuanced engagement with contemporary critiques that outdoor education has become a highly individualized experience. (Contains 5 notes.)
Descriptors: Outdoor Education, Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, Adventure Education, Social Theories, Didacticism, Case Studies, Cognitive Processes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A