The politics of access to natural resources for sport and recreation
The period between 1997 (when Labour came to power) and 2000 (the enactment of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000) witnessed the elitist superstructure of rural exclusivity seemingly being torn down in favour of a legal ‘right to roam’ on the uplands, moors, commons and downs of England and Wales. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 swept in more fundamental and wide-ranging rights in Scotland. The upshot of these two Acts, we were told, was that all people would now enjoy the once forbidden fruit of unfettered recreational access to the countryside; leisure opportunities being underwritten and extended through a new emphasis on environmentalism, health and economic growth instead of tired Marxist debates about rights and duties. This ongoing research project explores the complexities of this shift, its political dimensions, and its application to a new policies and campaigns for access to natural resources for sport and recreational purposes.
Publications
‘Property ownership, resource use and the gift of nature’ (with N. Ravenscroft and A. Church) Environment and Planning D: Society and Space.
'Outdoor education and the environment' (with N. Ravenscroft), in Bramham, P. and Wagg, S. (eds.) The New Politics of Leisure and Pleasure, 2010.
'Paddling, property and piracy: the politics of English and Welsh canoeing' (with Church, A. and Ravenscroft, N.), Sport in Society, 2011.
'Power to the paddlers? The internet, governance and discipline' (with N. Ravenscroft), Leisure Studies, 27(2), 2008, pp.129-148.
'Negotiating recreational access under asymmetrical power relations: the case of inland waterways in England' (with N. Ravenscroft and A. Church), Society and Natural Resources, 20(3), 2007, pp.213-227.
Presentations
'Localism, embodied knowledge and the environment: the limits of 'Big Society' in a sport policy field',given to the PSA Sport and Politics Group one-day conference on 'Sport and the Big Society', University of Brighton, 16 December 2011.
'The cultural politics of recreational access in North-West Europe' given to the AHRC Sport and Modern Europe network at Pembroke College, Cambridge University in January 2010, can be found here.
Publications
‘Property ownership, resource use and the gift of nature’ (with N. Ravenscroft and A. Church) Environment and Planning D: Society and Space.
'Outdoor education and the environment' (with N. Ravenscroft), in Bramham, P. and Wagg, S. (eds.) The New Politics of Leisure and Pleasure, 2010.
'Paddling, property and piracy: the politics of English and Welsh canoeing' (with Church, A. and Ravenscroft, N.), Sport in Society, 2011.
'Power to the paddlers? The internet, governance and discipline' (with N. Ravenscroft), Leisure Studies, 27(2), 2008, pp.129-148.
'Negotiating recreational access under asymmetrical power relations: the case of inland waterways in England' (with N. Ravenscroft and A. Church), Society and Natural Resources, 20(3), 2007, pp.213-227.
Presentations
'Localism, embodied knowledge and the environment: the limits of 'Big Society' in a sport policy field',given to the PSA Sport and Politics Group one-day conference on 'Sport and the Big Society', University of Brighton, 16 December 2011.
'The cultural politics of recreational access in North-West Europe' given to the AHRC Sport and Modern Europe network at Pembroke College, Cambridge University in January 2010, can be found here.
