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Outdoor leisure experiences may represent an understudied yet effective pathway to promote connectedness to nature for urban park visitors. In contrast to outdoor recreation, this critical essay argues outdoor leisure more heavily emphasizes eudaimonic sentiments and intrinsic motivation in comparison with the goal-oriented and hedonic nature of outdoor recreation. It is further argued that two specific social psychological constructs, awe and solitude, may be especially useful in promoting leisure experiences in urban outdoor spaces. Relevant philosophical and social psychological literature is reviewed and synthesized to outline how land managers and environmental educators may facilitate experiences of awe and solitude to better promote contexts for experiencing outdoor leisure in urban parks. Specifically, reviewed literature suggests that utilizing the recreation opportunity spectrum framework and co-creative processes may be an effective path forward in better supporting urban park environments that are conducive to awe, solitude, and leisure. The review and synthesis of this research may ultimately guide environmental educators, land managers, and researchers in ways to more effectively support connectedness to nature via outdoor leisure experiences as an outcome for visitors to outdoor urban spaces.
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Beach, Please: Exploring Black Women’s Lived Outdoor Recreation Experiences
Minimal leisure research focuses exclusively on Black women, with even fewer studies examining outdoor recreation experiences among active participants. The purpose of this study was to explore the outdoor recreation experiences of Black women in their own words. Convenience sampling was used to recruit Black women employed at a university located in the U.S. Southeast who have frequented beach areas along the Florida Panhandle. Questions asked related to recreation experi- ences, including the motivation and barriers to visiting beach areas, participation in leisure activities, and history of their first beach visit. Motivation for visiting beaches included social or solo traditions, informal self-care retreats to disengage and reflect through writing and meditation, and access to local amenities. Barriers to visiting coastal beaches ranged from work and personal life commitments, lack of discretionary funds, and safety concerns from the fear of being a Black woman traveling alone or through segregated areas. In addition, this study addressed stereo- types of leisure experiences among Black women that included hair care and rec- reating in spaces typically occupied by non-Black beachgoers. The importance of Black women’s leisure surfaced as a theme as respondents connected beach recrea- tion to overall health, well-being, and the idea of pleasure being intertwined with work rather than being separate or in conflict with their leisure time. Using a Black feminist standpoint, the stories Black women tell about themselves in leisure are a rich resource to provide insight into this topic.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1824267
- PAR ID:
- 10579932
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- International Journal of the Sociology of Leisure
- Volume:
- 6
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 2520-8683
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 349 to 366
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s41978-023-00145-x
