Jane Addams: debunking the American hyper-individualistic histories and enlarging her collectivistic sensibilities (And a case study of how leisure textbooks can be encapsulated within national ideologies)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Jane Addams was one of the most important pioneers to help develop leisure services in America. Many American leisure textbooks hyper-individualize Jane Addams actions at Hull-House and make it seem that she was individually supervising the massive Hull-House complex and hundreds of programmes. The purpose of this manuscript is to debunk the hyper-individualistic histories of Jane Addams cloaked in the ideology of American individualism, written by American leisure studies authors, and outline Jane Addams collectivistic sensibilities and underscore the many residents and volunteers who helped establish Hull-House. To readers outside of the United States, this paper also serves as an example of how leisure textbooks can be encapsulated within national ideologies, which are often invisible to readers. As such, this manuscript will underscore Hull-House as being a collectivistic gestalt of kindred spirits who partnered with Jane Addams to make Hull-House a success. The last section of this manuscript will highlight the “galaxy of stars” who helped Hull-House flourish (Stebner, 1997), such as Louise de Koven Bowen Julia Lathrop, Helen Culver, Mary Rozet Smith and Neva Boyd.