Ensauvagement et héroïsme dans la randonnée pédestre

Abstract

In this paper I analyse the practice of hiking considering that it explores different facets of subjectivity. I will highlight three angles of this tourist experience-which I name "excursive ritual". The first angle concerns the subjectivity by materiality (Warnier, 1999), and it is based in the symbolic value of the technical equipment used by hikers. We will see how our culture nurtures a desire to become wild ("enselvageamento"), a desire that comes from a technical-scientific myth of intimacy with the materials. The second angle of the excursive ritual consists in listening to the primary sensations of the body involved in the effort. In this angle, the tourist pretends to take a dip inside of him, and he sees this experience as mending a patchwork on his identity. The last angle of this analysis concerns life within organized groups of walkers or in groups of people walking together. There, we aim at describing different emotional experiences in a situation of physical proximity and analyse their social function. The intimacy with the materials, with yourself or with others allows us to understand the recreational exercise of self-government that clarifies certain sociological and political aspects of contemporary transformation of the social bond.