Dr Lee Davidson

SENIOR LECTURER

PhD Monash, BA (Hons) History, Otago, and MA (Applied) Recreation and Leisure Studies, Victoria.

Dr Lee Davidson has been teaching on the Museum and Heritage Studies programme and its predecessor, Recreation and Leisure Studies, since 1998.  Previously she worked in various positions within the recreation, tourism and conservation sectors. Her research interests include leisure (history, theory and contemporary practice); visitor studies; narrative research methods; tourism and natural/cultural heritage.  She is a Board Member for the Australia and New Zealand Association for Leisure Studies and was the recipient of their Thesis of Year Award in 2007.  She is currently working on the publication of her doctoral research which examined meaning and identity construction in the life narratives of New Zealand mountaineers, and is also developing audience research projects in collaboration with Visitor and Market Research at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Current Teaching

FHSS 206/301 Cultures of Leisure: Heritage, Travel and Play
MHST 513 Research Methods
MHST 514 Practicum 2
MHST 516 Making Meanings: Museums, Heritage and Leisure Experience

Publications

Book Chapters

Davidson, L. (2008) ‘Travelling Light in Hostile Country: Mountaineering, Commitment and the Leisure Lifestyle.’ In J. Caudwell, S. Redhead & A. Tomlinson (Eds.), Relocating the Leisure Society: Media, consumption and spaces. Eastbourne, UK: LSA Publication No. 101. pp. 77-95.

 Davidson, L. (2003) ‘Adventure, Meaning and Identity: An Historical Case Study from New Zealand’, In B. Humberstone, H. Brown & K. Richards (Eds.), Whose Journeys? The ‘Outdoors’ and ‘Adventure’ as Social and Cultural Phenomena. Plumpton, UK: The Institute for Outdoor Learning. pp. 337-349.

Journal Articles

Davidson, L. (2008) ‘Tragedy in the Adventure Playground: Media Representations of Mountaineering Accidents in New Zealand’, Leisure Studies, 27(1): 3-19.

Davidson, L. (2007) ‘The meaning of mountaineering: A study of New Zealand climbers’, New Zealand Alpine Journal, 59: 103-107.

Davidson, L. (2002) ‘The ‘Spirit of the Hills’: Mountaineering in Northwest Otago, New Zealand 1882-1940’, Tourism Geographies, 4 (1): 44-61.

Davidson, L. (2001) ‘Qualitative Research and Making Meaning from Adventure: A Case Study of Boys’ Experiences of Outdoor Education at School’, Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Leadership, 1 (2):11-20.

Selected conference papers

Davidson, L. (2005) ‘The calculable and the incalculable: Narratives of safety, danger and death among New Zealand mountaineers’, Australian and NZ Assoc. for Leisure Studies Conference, December 2005, Tauranga, New Zealand.

Davidson, L. (2005) ‘Losing that wilderness feeling: Mountain recreation and aircraft access in New Zealand’s National Parks’, International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, June 2005, Ostersund, Sweden.

Davidson, L (2004) ‘Adventurous selves: The negotiation of identity in the biographical narratives of mountaineers’, 8th World Leisure Congress, September 2004, Brisbane.

Davidson, L. (2003) ‘Narratives of change: Understanding the meanings of outdoor adventure recreation through a biographical approach’, Leisure, Change and Diversity: 6th ANZALS Biennial Conference, July 2003, University of Technology, Sydney (NSW).

Davidson, L. (1999) ‘Tourism policy for sustainability in protected areas: Observations from New Zealand and Nepal’, Tourism Policy and Planning: Proceedings of International Geographic Union Sustainable Tourism Study Group Conference, Oamaru, New Zealand, 1999. Dunedin: Centre for Tourism, University of Otago, pp. 272-282.