Date of Award
2011
Document Type
Honors Thesis (Colby Access Only)
Department
Colby College. Anthropology Dept.
Advisor(s)
Jeffrey D. Anderson
Second Advisor
Winifred Tate
Abstract
Summer camps are often transformative to youth who attend them because camp is a rite of passage. It provides a controlled space that is separate from campers’ everyday “home” lives. Camps are created with specific goals about identity and character-formation based in a “natural” and prosocial lifestyle. It is the structure and environment of camp that allow for campers to experience personal transformation; they foster self-discovery, self-challenge (physical and social), and certain kinds of “freedoms” that do not otherwise exist in the non-camp world.
Keywords
Camp, Rite of Passage, Nature, Emotion, Duality, Construction
Recommended Citation
Merzbach, Deborah J., "Summer Camp As A Rite Of Passage: An Explication Of Camp As A Transformative Experience" (2011). Honors Theses. Paper 615.https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses/615
Multimedia URL
Copyright
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Comments
Full-text download restricted to Colby College campus only.