Recreational activism: politics, nature, and the rise of neoliberalism

Abstract

This paper develops an analysis of recreational activism in light of the relationship between outdoor recreation and environmental politics. As part of the rise of green liberalism, it is argued that recreational activism – recreational activities that are backed by a public political campaign – works (often accidentally) to legitimise neoliberalisation in the realm of environmental politics. Drawing from two expressions of recreational activism, a wilderness campaign in Canada and the work of Patagonia™ on environmental issues, this paper illustrates how these initiatives not only pair together a concern for how one acts within wilderness with the political choices outside of wilderness areas, but also reify the market value of environmental protection. The individualised nature of these political expressions, paradoxically, stems from both the counter-culture initiatives of the 1960s and the neoliberal reforms of the past 30 years. As moments of recreational consumption these campaigns promote a conservative economic agenda whose consequences will likely override the progressive political sentiments embodied by these activities.