Adventure and Society

Simon Beames, Chris Mackie & Matthew Atencio.
Palgrave Macmillan, 2019

This book provides a broad overview of the ways in which ‘adventurous practices’ influence, and are influenced by, the world around them. The concept of adventure is one that is too often tackled within subject silos of philosophy, education, tourism, or leisure. While much of the analysis is strong, there is little cross-pollination between disciplines. Adventure & Society pulls together the threads of these discourses into one coherent treatment of the term ‘adventure’ and the role that it plays in human social life of the 21st century. It explores how these practices can be considered more deeply through theoretical discourses of capitalism, identity construction, technology and social media, risk-taking, personal development, equalities, and sustainability. As such, the book speaks to a broad audience of undergraduate and postgraduate students across diverse subject areas, and aims to be an accessible starting point for deeper inquiry.

Available to purchase from Palgrave Macmillan and Blackwells.

Journal Articles

Beames, S., Mackie, C., & Scrutton, R. (2018). Alumni perspectives on a boarding school outdoor education programme. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 1-15.

Reports

I was involved in a mixed methods research project commissioned by Gordonstoun School. The full report, entitled The nature and impact of Gordonstoun School’s out-of-classroom learning experiences is available here and a summary of the research produced by Gordonstoun is available here