The (re)creation and (re)storying of space in outdoor education: gyms, journeys, and escapism

This chapter draws on new-materialist approaches to challenge the perceived ‘fixity’ of outdoor space in outdoor education. Through a case study of the Outward Bound Trust, Hickman Dunne explores how landscapes (and young people) are (re)created through memory, social relations and embodied interactions, and therefore always ‘becoming’ in relation to each other. The discussion highlights the agency of land and non-human matter, and the role of instructors in guiding embodied practices and memories of outdoor places. Hickman Dunne also seeks to promote reflection for those working in these pedagogical contexts by focusing on how outdoor experiences are differentially shaped by body-place memories and habits, concluding with a call to address dominant perceptions and ‘productions’ of nature and push the boundaries of more inclusive educational practice.