Michel Foucault Goes Outside: Discipline and Control in the Practice of Outdoor Education

Abstract

This paper is concerned with if, and how, measures of discipline and control are involved in outdoor and experiential education. Using the work of the French philosopher Michel Foucault, author of Discipline and Punish (1975), we shall explore how educational practice may be used to control people and to render them into "docile bodies." We follow this with an examination of what Foucault calls the three means of correct training used for the creation and maintenance of docile bodies: hierarchical observation, normalizing judgments, and examination. Through the use of examples we will proceed to argue that outdoor and experiential education programs do exercise mechanisms of control that may at times operate contrary to purported goals. Thus, using Foucault as our guide, we examine the question of discipline and control, together with the concomitant issue of the relations of power within our society. While recognizing that discipline and control are, at times, necessary and desirable, we will argue that outdoor and experiential educators should understand how negative relations of power operate so that they may avoid unwittingly incorporating them into their practices and programs.

Handing Over

“…As such, it seemed that I was expecting certain types of behaviour that would show me that planning was occurring. Also within OE, Bowdridge and Blenkinsop (2011) state that teachers make judgements "as to what kinds of behaviour and ideas are sanctioned and not sanctioned within this newly forming culture" (p. 156). I was drawing on my prior knowledge of these particular learners as I only spoke with two members of the group.…”

“…They understood planning time as "free time" which was framed by the usual and routine ways that PSTs relaxed after classes. Bowdridge and Blenkinsop (2011) warn, "Without the direction and structure provided by an instructor, there is the potential for students to engage in activities that are already familiar and are of no educational value" (p. 158). It was therefore important that I intervened to provide "educational value" to their experiences of becoming an OE teacher.…”

Islamic Law in Indonesia: Baḥtsul Masāil Ijtihad and the Production of Knowledge

“…The first hypothesis is Foucault's concise hypothesis about his archaeological method, while the second hypothesis is about his genealogical approach. [5] This indicates that power is everywhere and arises from relationships between various powers, occurs absolutely, and does not depend on human consciousness. Power is just a strategy.…”

Students’ Discipline Management in Strengthening Modern Human Resources

“…Through discipline, our physics is trained to be ideal and skillful. Moreover, discipline is a repeat examination and correction in order to build dexterity character which automatically works in our physics (Bowdridge & Blenkinsop, 2011). In addition, discipline increases our skills, power, and physically functions as well as driving our body to the essence of being useful for other creatures and follow every rule set.…”