The Sublime Reimagined: Moving Towards Deeper Human–Nature Relations in Outdoor Adventure Education

Abstract

Background: Current research in outdoor adventure education advocates for deeper attention to place and the role that place and the more-than-human world play in pedagogical processes. However, historical and socio-cultural analysis of the roots of OAE reveals an educational approach that encourages adversarial human–nature relations toward the pursuit of anthropocentric outcomes. The use of sublime environments towards these ends does not naturally align with the more recent attempts to foster environmental behaviors through OAE. Purpose: This research addresses the ambiguity between “place” and “pedagogy” to suggest a reimagined role of the sublime that fosters more empathetic human–nature relations. Methodology/Approach: This research utilizes philosophical phenomenology and postqualitative analysis to develop an argument for engaging with sublime environments in ways that cultivate empathetic human–nature relations. Findings/Conclusions: I argue for an awareness of the material aspect of sublime experiences that precedes construction and can inspire empathetic and reciprocal human–nature relations. Implications: Reimagining the sublime as a material phenomenon that is relational and promotes virtues of humility, respect, and care for the more-than-human world.