Leisure Education and the School

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In 1962 the French sociologist Joffre Dumazedier wrote in his now famous book Vers une civilisation du loisir?: Dans le proche avenir, le loisir est soumis a ces alternatives, l'interet economique de la nation pouvant entrer en conflit avec les aspirations sociales et culturelles des differentes classes et categories de la population active (p. 53). The possibility of a so-called 'leisure society' became more realistic, for man would be liberated from hard labour through technological innovations, and increasing productivity would lead to shortened working hours, thereby providing people with more free time. Leisure could even become the most important time in people's lives. For some ten years it seemed that all these expectations were about to come true. The 'Golden Sixties' brought a general rise in living standards. Although higher productivity led to more stressful situations, people had more time to relax and to consume. Participation in sports and socio-cultural activities was constantly increasing, and more and more people went on vacation. There was also an increasing awareness that leisure time could be used for education and individual development. This led to the idea of continuing education. However, the economic recession which started during the seventies slowed down this positive trend and the situation in fact, from the early eighties onwards, moved in the opposite direction. Among other things, the growing rate of unemployment has led to increasing tensions in the relationship between work and leisure. At the moment people are increasingly confronted with what may be called 'pseudo' or 'enforced' leisure time. In contrast to the optimistic predictions during the sixties, when leisure was to become the most important period in life, the latest developments are heading towards a growing commitment to work as people become more dependent on the need to work. Although the amount of leisure time is still increasing, the means for individuals to spend this time as they choose are diminishing. Because of decreasing purchasing power, people are driven to a more passive way of spending their leisure time. Research shows, for example, that as a result of the economic crisis, involvement in artistic and creative activities (such as photography, painting, plastic arts, etc.) is decreasing very rapidly in Flanders (Naeyaert, 1984), and the same can be said for membership in clubs, attendance at theatres, cinemas, etc. Only the utilitarian hobbies (especially gardening, auto-mechanics, manual activities, etc.) are more or less maintaining their popularity-activities that are generally known for their intensive use of time and their cost-saving character. The predicted 'leisure society' seems far away and