The Whiteness of Natural Spaces: Understanding Race and Class-Based Exclusion in the Outdoor Industry

My senior work explored sociological factors that account for the dominance of White, upper-class participants in the Outdoor Industry. I used a historical analysis of the Sociology of Leisure and the Sociology of Space to... [ view full abstract ]

My senior work explored sociological factors that account for the dominance of White, upper-class participants in the Outdoor Industry. I used a historical analysis of the Sociology of Leisure and the Sociology of Space to determine how this dominance arose and how it is maintained today. I applied these frameworks to four outdoor recreation and education institutions as models for both the reinforcement and radicalization of hegemonic classist and racist biases in the Outdoor Industry. My presentation will include a synthesis of my senior work as well as concrete recommendations for moving forward in working to diversify the Outdoor Industry from both the participant and institutional levels.