Abstracts Category : Other

Re-imagining Outdoor Recreation Enthusiasts: An Analysis of the Impact of Gender and Race on Outdoor Recreation Preferences

by Teona Williams

The Back to Nature Movement inspired middle class Americans from all backgrounds to escapethe diseases and pollution that plagued U.S cities in favor of the great outdoors. The constructionof these spaces as white has often erased the experiences of minorities as they navigated outdoorrecreation landscapes. In order to challenge these constructions this thesis seeks to understand howuniversity of students across different backgrounds navigate outdoor recreation. Using historicaland sociological methods, I surveyed 459 university students from May-September to assess theiroutdoor recreation preferences. The first section provides an historical overview of AfricanAmerican outdoor leisure to lay the foundation of minority outdoor leisure preferences. Thefollowing sections explore outdoor recreation preferences across gender, and race/ethnicity,displaying how millennials from all backgrounds seek to engage with the environment. The resultsfound that there were minimal differences in outdoor recreation preferences across race andgender, challenging dominant discourses around gender, race and outdoor recreation.Advisors/Committee Members: Taylor, Dorceta (advisor), White, Monica (committee member).