'You Can't Be an Atheist Here': Christianity and Outward Bound in Britain, c.1941-1965
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| Title: | 'You Can't Be an Atheist Here': Christianity and Outward Bound in Britain, c.1941-1965 |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Mark Freeman |
| Source: | History of Education Review. 2020 49(1):67-84. |
| Availability: | Emerald Publishing Limited. Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley, West Yorkshire, BD16 1WA, UK. Tel: +44-1274-777700; Fax: +44-1274-785201; e-mail: emerald@emeraldinsight.com; Web site: http://www.emerald.com/insight |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 18 |
| Publication Date: | 2020 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Educational History, Outdoor Education, Christianity, Religious Factors, Religious Education, Individual Development, Educational Change |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom (Great Britain) |
| DOI: | 10.1108/HER-04-2019-0011 |
| ISSN: | 0819-8691 2054-5649 |
| Abstract: | Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the role of formal religion in the early years of Outward Bound, a significant outdoor education organisation in Britain, from the 1940s to the 1960s. Design/methodology/approach: This article is based on archival and other documentary research in various archives and libraries, mostly in the United Kingdom. Findings: The article shows that religious "instruction" was a central feature of the outdoor education that Outward Bound provided. The nature and extent of this aspect of the training was a matter of considerable debate within the Outward Bound Trust and was influenced by older traditions of muscular Christianity as well as the specific context of the early post-Second World War period. However, the religious influences at the schools were marginalised by the 1960s; although formal Christian observances did not disappear, the emphasis shifted to the promotion of a vaguer spirituality associated with the idea that "the mountains speak for themselves". Originality/value: The article establishes the importance of organised Christianity and formal religious observances in the early years of Outward Bound, a feature which has generally been overlooked in the historical literature. It contributes to wider analyses of outdoor education, religious education and secularisation in the mid-twentieth century. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1462705 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the role of formal religion in the early years of Outward Bound, a significant outdoor education organisation in Britain, from the 1940s to the 1960s. Design/methodology/approach: This article is based on archival and other documentary research in various archives and libraries, mostly in the United Kingdom. Findings: The article shows that religious "instruction" was a central feature of the outdoor education that Outward Bound provided. The nature and extent of this aspect of the training was a matter of considerable debate within the Outward Bound Trust and was influenced by older traditions of muscular Christianity as well as the specific context of the early post-Second World War period. However, the religious influences at the schools were marginalised by the 1960s; although formal Christian observances did not disappear, the emphasis shifted to the promotion of a vaguer spirituality associated with the idea that "the mountains speak for themselves". Originality/value: The article establishes the importance of organised Christianity and formal religious observances in the early years of Outward Bound, a feature which has generally been overlooked in the historical literature. It contributes to wider analyses of outdoor education, religious education and secularisation in the mid-twentieth century. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0819-8691 2054-5649 |
| DOI: | 10.1108/HER-04-2019-0011 |
