Abstract
Whatever practical form education for leisure takes, it seems to me that it should be in the first place a school for freedom and independence to be experienced in leisure, so as to develop an awareness of emancipation that will help people to avoid drudgery and oppression and to prepare for a 'leisure society'. Circumstances today are so unfavourable that it is my impression that existing theory and practice in this domain is inadequate to cope with the new situation. The emphasis has to be put on a critical discussion of educational goals and priorities in the current political, social and economic situation of Western Europe. It is not possible today-but was it ever before?-to discuss any concept or project concerning education for leisure without taking into account the context. Yet this is not often explicitly done and the matter is mostly left to the 'specialists'. But at the same time there is no implicit consensus in the academic world about the assessment of the present crisis and/or the future perspectives. In at least two important areas the situation had changed since the idea of leisure education took shape in the post-war period. First, the social and economic context is drastically different, as is the dominant ideological reaction to it. Secondly, the relatively new academic community developing 'leisure sciences' is still seeking to define its terrain in relation to other social sciences. A new debate on leisure concepts is developing as a result of a shift to a non-functionalist social theory. Both aspects inevitably influence any discussion on theory or policy in the field of leisure education. A critical assessment of these changes is necessary to arrive at a clear view on what leisure education means. It is surely not a device for coping with the problems of social order created by massive unemployment.
Published Version
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