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Conceptualizing Adventure

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Adventure and Society

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Abstract

After reading this chapter, you will be able to:

  • Explain the masculine, capitalist roots of adventure

  • Define adventure

  • Understand how adventure is often associated with privilege

  • Explain key features of adventurous activities

  • Understand the relative nature of adventures

  • Explain Lynch and Moore’s ‘adventure paradox’

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The French word aventure and the Latin word advenire, which means ‘to come’ or ‘to arrive’, are both cited as precursors to our ‘adventure’. However, this history of the word does not seem as helpful as the French ‘courtly-knightly’ origins, as explained above.

  2. 2.

    Becker also discusses the closely related German term, erlebnis.

  3. 3.

    See introduction to sociology textbooks, such as Giddens and Sutton (2017), for more information on sociology’s origins.

  4. 4.

    The Global North is used to describe what might otherwise be considered the ‘developed’ or ‘first’ world—a world of relative privilege.

  5. 5.

    See Atkinson’s chapter on ‘The quest for excitement in parkour’ in Pike and Beames, Outdoor Adventure & Social Theory (2013)

Key Readings

  • Beames, S., & Pike, E. (2013). Outdoor adventure and social theory. In E. Pike & S. Beames (Eds.), Outdoor adventure and social theory (pp. 1–9). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, P., & Moore, K. (2004). Adventures in paradox. Australian Journal of Outdoor Education, 8(2), 3–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wheaton, B. (2004). Introduction: Mapping the lifestyle sport-scape. In B. Wheaton (Ed.), Understanding lifestyle sports: Consumption, identity and difference (pp. 1–28). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Simon Beames

  2. University of the Highlands and Islands, Inverness, UK

    Chris Mackie

  3. California State University East Bay, Hayward, CA, USA

    Matthew Atencio

Authors
  1. Simon Beames
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  2. Chris Mackie
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  3. Matthew Atencio
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Beames, S., Mackie, C., Atencio, M. (2019). Conceptualizing Adventure. In: Adventure and Society. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96062-3_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96062-3_1

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-96061-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-96062-3

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