Marketing the Wilderness by Minnesota author Joseph Whitson (University of Minnesota Press) puts the outdoor industry under the microscope for us to have a closer look. From Government to tourism, gear manufacturers to land owners, what is so great about this book is that it is thoroughly researched and eye opening. Marketing the Wilderness is written with an academic tone which is both very thoughtful, densely worded, and not a “quick read”.
The outdoors industry as we ‘know it’ definitely started to snowball over the course of the past two centuries and has gathered in both speed and size as it rolls downhill, all the while with a core of colonial roots in which it started. To preface this book, it exclusively focuses on the outdoors through an American lens (which in turn has affected us in Canada. There is little mention of how other countries such as Europe have dealt with similar issues over the years and a deep dive into other cultures would be equally intriguing now that we have a ground-floor intro). Joseph has done an astonishing amount of research throughout the book and he thoroughly cites it as he weaves the history of how the outdoors went from being avoided, to colonized and exploited.
Wilderness areas that are protected in the States have been settled by creating treaties, but those same treaties also unfairly restrict Indigenous access to that land. The book walks you through the small, incremental changes over the years that have built upon each other resulting in an age that we’re currently living in that needs a huge reset. Something that would have been normalized ages ago is shockingly off base in current terms and yet little is being done about it.
This book establishes the term “untrammelled wilderness” as wilderness areas that are untouched and the very thing that everyone from government/park systems to companies such as REI/Patagonia/The North Face have all tried to leverage for their own gain.
I think if you have the mindset to read a book like this, you’re already moving in the right direction to have a better grasp on the topic. There is a lot of pain points to consider and Joseph’s book is a perfect primer to assist you in your comprehension. I hope this book sparks more dialogue on the subject and the more people that can continue and act on the topic, the higher the chance something will be done about it, no matter which county you live in.
Grab your copy through your local bookseller, or at Amazon or Indigo.
