PhD - Bushcraft Research

Paul Moseley

Member
Jul 28, 2020
33
20
46
Staffordshire
Hello :)

Having completed the masters degree in bushcraft at the University of Cumbria, I am continuing on to PhD level.

Areas that I am researching include the ways in which bushcraft presents the natural world to participants.

Would there be any interest from members potentially taking part in the research in the future?
 

SaraR

Full Member
Mar 25, 2017
1,651
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Ceredigion
Congratulations on getting started on your PhD! I'd love to hear more about what you find out. :) There are at least a few of us with PhDs here, so feel free to ask/moan/vent about that aspect of your study too.

Always good to remember that it is meant to transform how you think and also that change is hard. :D
 

gra_farmer

Full Member
Mar 29, 2016
1,911
1,087
Kent
Congratulations on getting started on your PhD! I'd love to hear more about what you find out. :) There are at least a few of us with PhDs here, so feel free to ask/moan/vent about that aspect of your study too.

Always good to remember that it is meant to transform how you think and also that change is hard. :D
What Sara said.

The main consideration is in the dynamic economic landscape, where does bushcraft fit into the perspective of modern living?

We are the converted, it's the outside or inside perspective that you need.
 
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Kav

Nomad
Mar 28, 2021
452
360
71
California
My input is from California. And no, I haven’t tied a ridge line between giant redwoods.my observation,
British bushcraft is a more cohesive activity with many related pursuits like home food preservation , weaving etc
The US has more variants than Doctor Who actors from politic pickled survivalists to people enamored with the survival genre on the Telly.
There is cross pollination with must have gear, the mentors good and bad, knife laws ( I recoil at yours to a degree and wish our vulgarity of
Firearms matched the UK or Australiia.)
Interesting topic, will you make it available?
 

Pattree

Full Member
Jul 19, 2023
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Would there be any interest from members potentially taking part in the research in the future?
This is very interesting indeed.
I do not have the knowledge base that I believe you require but I’m very interested in your approach.

Might you share your research questions?

Ok just tell me to butt out :)
 

Laurentius

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 13, 2009
2,530
697
Knowhere
If nothing else I am full of opinions on the subject. I would be interested to see how you define "bushcraft" for the purposes of research. It is an interesting line of research and subject to Russell's paradox, you are in effect presenting the natural world to participants in the very act of researching it.
 

Pattree

Full Member
Jul 19, 2023
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Hello Paul,
I have contributed to dissertations on other forums which have nothing to do with Bushcraft.

Researchers have forwarded their university’s privacy, consent and research boundary paperwork.

Would we as contributors have sight of your eventual findings?
Before presentation?
After presentation?
 
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Minotaur

Native
Apr 27, 2005
1,624
246
Birmingham
I cannot believe I am typing this again.
If you check out Memory Code by Dr Lynne Kelly (The book version of her PhD thesis so you could read that instead) and British Woodland by Ray Mears in that order.
The thing that strikes me as really interesting is the way they saw the world. Ray menitions having more seasons and Memory Code has indicators as to the change of season.
 

Poacherman

Banned
Sep 25, 2023
437
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Wigan
Happy to contribute. Although I agree in principal with Graham, I am not happy at all with the way 'bushcraft' is taught generally or, indeed, the level of understanding of conservation needs by 'bushcrafters' in general. There are notable exceptions to both those statements however.
I believe bushcraft is something that carnt be taught in a classroom phd setting it’s better to have hands on years experiences learning thru trial and error and not totally relying on courses n so forth .
 

Pattree

Full Member
Jul 19, 2023
2,119
1,140
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UK
@Poacherman
I totally take your point.
However I feel that as Paul is working on a PhD he won’t be receiving knowledge from his university, quite the opposite, at that level I imagine that he is writing up new knowledge.

I certainly agree with you as I wonder who will assess the resulting work but there are many subjects that are difficult to define but which can be successfully researched.

I doubt that every “bushcrafter” who reads the dissertation will agree with it but I’m sure it will contribute to a significant aspect of what we do.

A thought as I type: Which faculty is mentoring this study. Is it leisure, politics, sociology, sport or something else; maybe religion or psychiatry? :)

I would be interested to read the resulting paper for sure.
 
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