Rethinking Camp Counsellor Experiences

In this chapter, I explore a post-structural framework for considering the embodied experiences of camp counsellors, emotional work and work-leisure boundaries. Understanding how these experiences come to be shaped through the negotiation of power, in a Foucauldian sense, underlies this book. In particular, this chapter considers how camp counsellors experience the emotional demands of their employment role and negotiate these within the ambiguous boundaries of work and play. By adopting a post-structural approach, this book attempts to make visible the tensions that exist within the discourses and experiences of camp employment. By understanding the complexity of camp counsellors’ lived employment experiences, managers of these employees can work towards more responsible and reflexive management practices.