Jennifer Wigglesworth

Wigglesworth, Jennifer

PhD (Queen's University), MA (University of Ottawa), BSc (University of Ottawa)

Assistant Professor
Conservation Science and Practice, Ecosystem Science and Management, Faculty of Environment, NRES Graduate Program, Outdoor Recreation Tourism Management
Phone
250-960-5659
Email
jennifer.wigglesworth@unbc.ca
Campus
Prince George

Biography

I completed a BSc and a MA in Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa, and a PhD in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queens University. My academic training has taken place in the fields of sociology of sport, recreation and leisure studies, and outdoor education. I have engaged with different labs, literatures, theories, and methods, which have allowed me to grow as an interdisciplinary scholar.

Research and Expertise

My research program grows out of my passion for social and environmental justice in the outdoors. I am interested in asking questions about justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion across the contexts of outdoor recreation, sport, tourism, and education. My doctoral project explored rock climbing through inter-sectional feminist perspectives. I study womens climbing experiences with respect to different categories of identity and structures of power. I also analyze the cultural politics of naming practices in outdoor communities.

Research Fields
  • Anthropology
  • Culture
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Gender and Women's Studies
  • Geography
  • Natural Resources
  • Sustainability
  • Tourism
Areas of Expertise
Outdoor recreation, outdoor sport, gender, place names, sociocultural studies, settler colonialism, nature-based tourism, rock climbing, adventure, experiential learning, intersectional feminism, qualitative research methodologies, embodiment, sex-integrated sport.
Currently accepting graduate students
Supervises In
MNRES, MA NRES
If your research interests align closely with Jennifer's, please contact her to see whether she is currently accepting graduate students.
Available to be contacted by the media as a subject matter expert

Selected Publications

Wigglesworth, J. (2023). (Re)naming routes: A tale of transformation in the outdoor rock climbing community. In J. Hall, E. Boocock & Z. Avners (Eds.), Gender, politics and change in mountaineering: Moving mountains (pp. 129-150). Palgrave MacMillan. 

Wigglesworth, J. (2023). Looking for cracks and pathways of resistance through outdoor learning. In S. Priest, S. Ritchie & H. Ghadery (Eds.), Outdoor Learning in Canada. Open access at 

Wigglesworth, J. (2021). The cultural politics of naming outdoor rock climbing routes. Annals of Leisure Research. DOI: 10.1080/11745398.2021.1949736

Wigglesworth, J. (2021). Gender and climbing style: Dynos and heel hooks in the gym. In B. Beal & T. Dupont (Eds.), Lifestyle sports and identities. Routledge.

Wigglesworth, J., & Heintzman, P. (2021). A qualitative study of the perceived significant life impacts of a university summer outdoor education course. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 21(4), 385-397.

Wigglesworth, J., & Heintzman, P. (2017). A qualitative study of the perceived life significance of a university winter outdoor education course. Research in Outdoor Education, 15, 72-92.

Wigglesworth, J. (2013). An autoethnographic study of snowboarding: Embodying outdoor education. Pathways: The Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education, 26(1), 25-27.

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