Location
Sydnor Performance Hall
Access Type
Campus Access Only
Start Date
4-17-2024 8:15 AM
End Date
4-17-2024 8:30 AM
College
Lynchburg College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Communication Studies
Keywords
Social Construction of Reality, Summer Camp, Colonialism, Decolonization, Indigenous Studies, Communication Studies, Social Influence and Advocacy
Abstract
American summer camps, serving millions of campers annually, wield immense influence over the youth of America. However, this cherished part of many children’s childhoods has roots in the settler colonialist history of our nation. Ernest Thompson Seton, the “father” of American Summer Camps, played a pivotal role in forming the modern summer camp based on these falsified ideas of indigeneity. The camps that Seton founded were based on fictionalizations and syncretisms from multiple culturally independent Indigenous nations. At these camps, young boys would establish leadership hierarchies and traditions based on this view of indigeneity. Summer camps today still engage in many of these traditions and often still bear the iconography of this colonial past. These ideas influence how people view Indigenous peoples and serve to codify these ideas into our social reality. As Cheryl Ellenwood, a citizen of the Nez Perce Nation of Idaho says, “When camps engage in activities such as giving campers ‘Indian’ names or hold ceremonies that mock Native Americans, they are teaching campers that this type of behavior is acceptable and reinforce the notion that Indigenous peoples are not equals” This paper analyzes how the summer camp industry creates and reinforces our socially constructed ideas of indigeneity. Understanding the industry's colonialist roots and the role of social construction in shaping narratives about indigenous populations in America is crucial for addressing implicit biases that may influence our youth.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Paula Youra
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Summer Camps And Colonialism: How The Summer Camp Industry Upholds Socially Constructed Views of Indigeneity
Sydnor Performance Hall
American summer camps, serving millions of campers annually, wield immense influence over the youth of America. However, this cherished part of many children’s childhoods has roots in the settler colonialist history of our nation. Ernest Thompson Seton, the “father” of American Summer Camps, played a pivotal role in forming the modern summer camp based on these falsified ideas of indigeneity. The camps that Seton founded were based on fictionalizations and syncretisms from multiple culturally independent Indigenous nations. At these camps, young boys would establish leadership hierarchies and traditions based on this view of indigeneity. Summer camps today still engage in many of these traditions and often still bear the iconography of this colonial past. These ideas influence how people view Indigenous peoples and serve to codify these ideas into our social reality. As Cheryl Ellenwood, a citizen of the Nez Perce Nation of Idaho says, “When camps engage in activities such as giving campers ‘Indian’ names or hold ceremonies that mock Native Americans, they are teaching campers that this type of behavior is acceptable and reinforce the notion that Indigenous peoples are not equals” This paper analyzes how the summer camp industry creates and reinforces our socially constructed ideas of indigeneity. Understanding the industry's colonialist roots and the role of social construction in shaping narratives about indigenous populations in America is crucial for addressing implicit biases that may influence our youth.