‘It Was Only When I Came Here that I Learned about Walking’: Creating Meaningful Contact in the Norwegian Outdoors?

In Norway, refugees are systematically introduced to friluftsliv, or outdoor recreation, in order to increase social inclusion. However, friluftsliv is infused with normativities, including contention and negotiations surrounding how to perform in the Norwegian outdoors. We draw on qualitative interviews and field observations to critically explore how a group of refugees participate in and negotiate normativities in friluftsliv, and their reflections over sites and situations when participating. Analytically, we draw on ongoing discussions around the capacity to live with and accommodate difference. We take particular inspiration from the notions of ‘meaningful contact’ and ‘curated sociability’ in order to address what the creation of meaningful contact in the outdoors means according to the refugees, how it comes about, and the outdoors’ potential as a site for social inclusion. We argue that although friluftsliv can offer an arena for meaningful contact and the challenging of stereotypes, the refugees’ experiences also demonstrate the accentuation of difference and how normativities are made visible when transgressed.