Roaming the Mountain Forests: Wandering to Perfect the Capacitive Body

Since 2017, France has seen some extensive literature, books, woodland sites, professionals tackle the issue of forest bathing or “shinrin yoku”. This social phenomenon reflects a present-day concern, an activity which takes the form of taking a tour, following an itinerary or wandering, roaming a w...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Frédérick Guyon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institut de Géographie Alpine 2021-01-01
Series:Revue de Géographie Alpine
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journals.openedition.org/rga/7762
Description
Summary:Since 2017, France has seen some extensive literature, books, woodland sites, professionals tackle the issue of forest bathing or “shinrin yoku”. This social phenomenon reflects a present-day concern, an activity which takes the form of taking a tour, following an itinerary or wandering, roaming a woodland environment (i.e. some mountain here) to come and meet the trees and their forest environment. The goal is to immerse oneself in the community of forests and trees. This analysis questions our relationships with our natural surroundings, to get a better understanding of how individuals consider themselves and act within the environment they are in. By structuring space and time in an orderly universe, mythical narratives give meaning to this roaming practice. These social experiments are analysed from a roaming anthropology standpoint, an approach which combines spatial, cultural, body, emotional and spiritual dimensions. The various forms of roaming the forest are said to enhance the capacitive body.
ISSN:0035-1121
1760-7426