Concept Of Leisure Research Articles

Lambs to the Slaughter: Leisure and Laboring-Class Poetry

The idea of leisure is essential to understanding how laboring-class poets conceived of themselves as writers, what they imagined the activity of poetic composition to be, and what kinds of poetic forms they felt were available to them. Further, in their poems exploring the concept of leisure, laboring-class poets illustrate an historical link between the exploitation and oppression of nature and the exploitation and oppression of the lower classes of society. It is an exploitation that is represented in poetry primarily through the suppression of leisure and the devastation of the natural or rural spaces where such leisure had occurred. This essay examines the implicit prohibition of pastoral themes for laboring-class poets from the early eighteenth to the early nineteenth centuries. Whereas early-eighteenth-century laboring-class poets depicted nature as a georgic realm, rarely representing it as the space for leisure, for early nineteenth-century poets such as Robert Bloomfield, Ann Yearsley and John Clare, the pastoral becomes the space for the poet to claim his or her rights to leisure in nature and the leisure of poetry itself. The essay argues that the expression of their protests is encoded within the generic markers of the pastoral mode, in particular through their representation of sheep and shepherds.

A Critical View of the Use of the Concept of Leisure as a Tool Analysis in Mental Health Studies

In this article, we critically review how leisure has been related to mental health. In some of the reviewed studies, leisure is understood as a series of activities performed outside of work domains, or as an adjective for qualifying some activities that are performed by people in their free time. In this article, we defend the idea that assessing leisure activities with the use of closed questionnaires cannot adequately account for the heterogeneity of its subjective experiences and meanings, because the characteristics of leisure are implicitly pre-defined in the questions themselves. These questionnaires, in other words, do not allow people to express their own meanings of leisure. Rather, they merely assess an individual’s abilities to fulfil a set of pre-established requirements. We defend that one must turn to interpretive ethnography and to linguistics to properly understand the relationship between leisure and mental health. This involves looking for the encyclopaedic meaning of words, instead of relying on scales that represent them as tangible things in the natural world.

Leisure in three Middle Eastern countries

Leisure time and leisure activities are topics of growing importance for countries of the Middle East, with an Islamic tradition, as they are for the rest of the world. This paper examines the position of leisure in three such countries, Egypt, Iran and Turkey. It looks at the relevance of the concept of leisure to these countries and it reviews published material and existing statistics on the practical nature of the leisure experiences of their inhabitants. Among the conclusions are that leisure is already of significance in all three countries. Traditional culture and religion are still important in shaping leisure behaviour, but a more Western pattern of leisure is emerging, especially among the urban middle class. There are substantial gaps in the data currently available to further the understanding of leisure behaviour in these countries, and to guide policy towards leisure provision.

Comparing leisure as a subjective experience with the Chinese experience of rùmí

The objective of this exploratory study was to examine if, in Chinese culture, there is a phenomenon comparable with the Western concept of leisure as a subjective experience. A literature review identified a number of properties that are often associated with leisure as a subjective experience and related types of experiences (e.g., flow, absorption). Using an informed etic approach, these properties were compared with those occurring during experiences described by 40 Chinese study participants as being rùmí (i.e., interesting, absorbing). Results suggest that the Chinese experience of rùmí is comparable with the Western concept of leisure as a subjective experience, although post experientia differences do exist. Suppositions concerning what this finding may mean for leisure studies are provided and future research recommendations are discussed.

Tourism and the Market Revolution

The nearly simultaneous publication of these three books on nineteenthcentury mineral springs resorts marks the maturation of the history of tourism and its inclusion in the mainstream of historical studies. For years the study of tourism stood outside traditional historiography, regarded as a subject for sociology or cultural studies. Even the most important works to emerge over the past decade or so, including John Sears' Sacred Places (1989), Dona Brown's Inventing New England (1995), and Cindy Aron's Working at Play (1999), addressed broader issues such as tourism's cultural importance, its commercial development, or the concept of leisure in American life. The appearance of Orvar Lofgren's theoretical work, On Holiday (1999), and the reissue of Dean MacCannell's classic sociological study, The Tourist (1976; reprint, 1999), might lead some readers to assume that theory and the most general questions about tourism's historical significance were again dominating the subfield. But Charlene Lewis, Jon Sterngass, and Theodore Corbett have used the archetypal method of social history, the case study, to remind historians of nineteenth-century America that tourism and leisure were central to American culture and society. The resorts that these historians study both created and responded to the major changes of nineteenth-century America: the Market Revolution, the process of class formation, the commercialization of leisure time, and the construction of regional identities. What some scholars might see as the esoteric diversions of a dissipated leisure class

“We're Gators … Not Just Gator Fans”: Serious Leisure and University of Florida Football

The concept of serious leisure (Stebbins, 1979; 1992) was used to examine the meanings, rituals, and practices associated with being a University of Florida Football fan. We contend that Gator football fans typify the serious leisure category of the hobbyist. Face to face in-depth interviews were conducted with four female and sixteen male fans. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using constant comparison and grounded theory methods (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Strauss & Corbin, 1998 a & b). Themes emerging from the data confirmed Stebbins' six characteristics of serious leisure. The results suggest that being a Gator football fan provides both a source of identity for the fan as an individual and a sense of belonging in an increasingly fragmented postmodern society.

Lifelong learning as serious leisure: policy, practice and potential

This paper seeks to examine the extent to which post-compulsory education can be viewed as a serious leisure activity. Such links between the fields of leisure studies and adult education have yet to be fully explored, especially from a UK perspective. Although Stebbins (1998) has explored the concept of learning serious leisure through adult education, the concept of adult education as serious leisure has yet to be examined. Since 1995 successive UK Governments have engaged in high profile policy initiatives to encourage ‘lifelong learning’, a somewhat controversial concept which has attracted criticism as well as a significant bandwagon. The principal impetus behind the policy is the perceived need to skill the workforce so that industry can operate in an increasingly competitive global market. Emphasized to a much lesser extent, however, is the wish to create a ‘learning society’ in which continual learning, (including that for non-vocational purposes) becomes integral within society, with a subsequent enhancement of social capital. It is argued that it is through learning as ‘serious leisure’, rather than as vocationally oriented that will be most appropriate for such a policy. In this paper the authors have sought to concentrate on this non-vocational dimension of lifelong learning and to explore the links between the concept of serious leisure and lifelong learning. The paper then draws upon literature from the fields of leisure studies and education policy to examine the implications of ‘lifelong learning as leisure’ for the individual, the community and society as a whole.

Qualitative research and making meaning from adventure: A case study of boys' experiences of outdoor education at school

This article details the process and analysis of a case study, conducted over a six week period, involving an outdoor education class in an all-boys Catholic, New Zealand secondary school. The questions explored by the case study were the subjective meanings of adventure experiences in outdoor education and the benefits of qualitative research for assessing the value of outdoor education. The methodological techniques used were observation, involving some researcher participation, and in-depth interviewing. Subsequent data analysis was based upon theories of experiential education and adventure education, and concepts of leisure and human agency. The results of the study suggest that the meanings participants make of their experiences, and the value they derive from them, exceed those that may conventionally be sought and measured as an improvement in self-concept. These findings suggest that learning through adventure is potentially valuable as a holistic and life-long form of activity that enhances the capacity to enjoy and engage in living. This is an important extension beyond its often limited and compartmentalised applications, which are rationalised by specific outcome based objectives. A qualitative methodology was indispensable to an inquiry of this kind and warrants further attention in the process of understanding the meanings of adventure and learning.

Serious Leisure Careers Among Whitewater Kayakers: A Feminist Perspective

‘Extreme’ or adventure sports continue to enjoy a great deal of media attention, which is matched by growth in terms of overall participation in these activities. As part of a larger research project examining high-risk leisure, this author has been conducting a study of the adventure sport of Whitewater kayaking in the Canadian Rockies since June 2000. This research project is exploratory in nature and makes use of Glaser and Strauss's (1967) grounded theory method to identify emerging themes. However, the project is framed by Stebbins' (1992) theory of serious leisure. Several themes have been identified with data collection and analysis ongoing in other phases of the project. This report of research findings concentrates on the career trajectory of Whitewater kayakers. In seeking to make sense of the different career trajectories, it is necessary to problematize the concept of serious leisure (Bartram, 2001a). This draws attention to the role of broader power relations and the effect of these on career trajectories. By using feminist analysis as a theoretical lens, it is apparent that Whitewater career trajectories vary according to important stratifiers such as age, class, parental status, athletic ability, and gender.

'By other means': tourism and leisure as politics in pre-war Japan

Although leisure and tourism may seem at first blush to be anything but political, states generally create and maintain policies that deal with the recreation of citizens.The Japanese government's active post-war approach to leisure is unusual and distinctive, owing its shape to pre-war policy decisions privileging for strategic purposes American and European conceptions of proper recreation, leisure and travel.Tracing the evolution of Japan's pre-war tourism and leisure policies, this paper argues that Japanese efforts to use international tourism as an instrument for economic growth forced the government to confront the question of what constitutes proper recreation.These debates remained unsettled in the pre-war period, in part because of the turn toward militant nationalism in the 1930s, which mandated the valorization of an idealized Japanese culture.Yet the emphasis on Western styles of leisure and tourism found important policy homes in the pre-war era, laying the foundation for the post-war institutionalization of efforts to make Japanese leisure lives conform to those witnessed in North America and Western Europe. The idea of a 'politics of leisure' is somewhat counterintuitive. It challenges a general expectation that leisure is in some sense irreducibly private: that what we do in our leisure time reflects something about us personally, that it is not or ought not be determined by outside actors. This conception of leisure as not even public, let alone political, is one of the reasons why political economists, for

Metaphor Analysis: Connecting Leisure to Practice

The purpose of this paper is to examine the usefulness of metaphor analysis in teaching entry-level leisure concepts. Metaphor is seen as a common component of every day language and a natural way for humans to categorize their world. Therefore, metaphor analysis provides students with a method for contextualizing abstract concepts associated with the leisure experience. The literature related to metaphor and metaphor analysis as a pedagogical tool are reviewed and practical applications to leisure studies are discussed.

The Neglect of Relaxation

The Atlantic Monthly used to feature an entertaining section on historical encounters between some of the significant figures of a particular periodFrederick the Great and Voltaire, Sarah Bernhardt and Thomas Edison, Fats Walter and Al Capone-with the suggestion that they were rather odd bedfellows. was reminded of that series when Roger Mannell told me that he had met and spent some time with Josef Pieper back in 1981 when Pieper visited the University of Waterloo. This surprised me as had read Pieper's ideas on leisure along with those of Plato and Aristotle and imagined him nearly as long gone. A young assistant professor at the time, Roger asked the aging German professor if events or experiences in the 30 or so years since finishing Leisure: The Basis of Culture (1952) had led him to reconsider the views he expressed there. Pieper's unadorned answer was no. I had the distinct impression that he thought his views were at least as relevant these days, Roger told me. The significance of that encounter has grown for me over the years as have thought about the contribution of each to our field of leisure studies. We revere Pieper in some of our graduate classes on leisure theory and generally regard his as a classic. But his emphasis on relaxation and receptivity seems to me to have had far less influence on research and practice in our field than has the work on concentrated effort, competence, and commitment in leisure that has been championed as optimal experience by Mannell along with Csikszentmihalyi, Stebbins, Iso-Ahola, Kelly and others. They have used different words, of course, but they have all taken a special interest in rather high intensity activity as being a source of satisfaction, self realization, and even a sense of community. Mannell, who demonstrated the connection between intense involvement and enjoyment experimentally (1980; Mannell and Bradley, 1986), also drew our attention ( 1993) to the similarity of a number of perspectives that demonstrate the significance and value of high investment, serious leisure (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; Kelly, 1987; Stebbins, 1992). The only points of any real debate are why we don't have more of such experiences and how we can increase their frequency. Even the supposed deficiency of such ideas for capturing the social value of leisure seems to be addressed where these same authors demonstrate that sharing such activities contributes to relatedness, bonding, intimacy and an ethos of shared identity. For Pieper, in some contrast, leisure is to be found in an attitude of non-activity and receptivity: Leisure is not the attitude of mind of those who actively intervene but of those who are open to everything; not of those who grab and grab hold, but of those who leave the reins loose and who are free and easy themselves (1963 [1952] p.41) For Pieper leisure is completed in affirmation and celebration, but it is begun in being truly and abundantly relaxed. In contrast with idleness and boredom, as well as effort, it is comfort in just being. Pieper's conception of leisure seems even more elusive as we begin this new century. Being the productive society we are, we celebrate effort and value relaxation primarily for its role in recharging that effort. A more mature view sees the importance of relaxation for reflection and planning, for gaining the kind of perspective that leads to an effective change in direction, acceleration of efforts in some direction and deceleration of effort in others. But such considerations seem somehow to be recessed in our high speed, technologically-charged existence and rarely find their way into prescriptions for optimizing life's opportunities. Associating effort with work makes sense with respect to productivity, and it only remains to be demonstrated that productivity, life satisfaction and development are enhanced when relaxation is also integrated along the way. But it seems somehow ironic then that effort has also become the dominant ideology of leisure in contemporary society and central to our very understanding of what leisure is. …

Museums as Leisure

Museums are shifting from a focus upon education alone towards an accommodation of leisure markets. The authors do not consider these concepts of education and leisure, often presented as oppositional, to be irreconcilable within museum practice. Nevertheless, it is apparent that museum practice is changing, in part as a response to the pressures and opportunities of becoming assimilated into leisure markets, predominantly, but not only, as touristic attractions and often as key resources in local economic development. Stakeholders such as users, citizens or governments appear to be unconcerned about these changes in emphasis, whilst some within professional museum practice (also stakeholders) do not wholeheartedly welcome the moves. The authors argue that, historically, museums have been attributed a role in 'entertaining' users and that, in part at least, this was accepted by practitioners where the primary orientation was acquisition and conservation within the project of modernity. In such circumstances, the consumption of museum services was seen as mainly for academic, or educational, utility. More recently, consumption of museums shows evidence of being at least equally associated with meaning as well as utility, i.e. that exhibitions contribute to the assembly of particular lifestyles associated with touristic behaviour.

The Classical Idea of Leisure: Cultural Ideal or Class Prejudice?

The field of leisure studies routinely has adopted the conventional account that ancient Greek citizens embraced leisure as a cultural ideal while despising work as slavish and degrading. Described in the works of such aristocrats as Plato and Aristotle, this ideal is most typically attributed to the democratic city-state of Athens during its classical period (fourth and fifth centuries BC). Evidence challenging this explanation has prompted a reassessment of attitudes toward work and leisure in ancient Athens. Perusing documents that shed light on the perspectives of leisured aristocrats and working-class citizens, this study investigates the classical conception of leisure in its sociopolitical context. Ideal and ideology were blended in Athenian views toward work and leisure. In particular, theories of work and leisure were politicized by aristocrats in an effort to exclude ordinary citizens from membership in the city-state. Working citizens were not passive recipients of the aristocratic view, however, but instead responded with a perspective of their own that both challenged and accepted the aristocratic ideal. In correcting the record, this study points to the need to place leisure theory in historical context.

Research note: the concept of serious leisure and women's experiences of the Sea Cadet Corps

This note describes the conceptual importance of 'serious' leisure while highlighting its theoretical weaknesses when speaking both to and from the experiences of women in the Sea Cadet Corps (a uniformed youth organization). I claim that although women's experiences challenge some of the assumptions made by serious leisure, the concept of serious leisure remains, as yet, a positive framework in which these experiences may be grounded. It is, however, my contention that Stebbins (1982) concept is in need of a politicizing and critical analysis, and that this is provided by a feminist critique of engendered power relations.

Grasping the meaning of leisure: developing a self-report measurement tool

A self-report measurement tool for the assessment of what people feel when involved in leisure activities is described. The new instrument is composed of nine scales: Perceived freedom, Intrinsic motivation, Goal-orientation, Relation to work, Active-passive participation, Optimal incongruity, Social interaction, Perceived competence , and Discretionary time availability . In a sample of 335 subjects the scales showed high internal consistency, and confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesized internal structure. Multidimensional scaling techniques revealed three higher-order underlying dimensions: effort level, social interaction, and purpose. Future directions for developing the instrument are discussed, as well as implications for the conceptualization of leisure.

Leisure in Occupational Therapy

Despite leisure's central position within occupational therapy models of practice, theoretical development from within occupational therapy remains limited. Historically occupational therapy has viewed leisure as an occupational performance area, quantifiable and discretionary time, and as activity used to achieve clients' targeted outcomes. Using social sciences literature and Primeau's (1996) ideas about the relationship between work and leisure, an argument is made for further theoretical development of leisure concepts and their application to occupational therapy. A brief review of standardized leisure assessments reveals their emphasis on leisure as time or activity. In contrast, interdisciplinary advances in leisure studies pertinent to occupational therapy focus on understanding leisure as a subjective experience. Acknowledgement of the importance of leisure as a state of mind underscores the importance of creating meaning within occupations. Finally, the stages of the Occupational Performance Process (CAOT, 1997; Fearing, Law & Clark, 1997) provide a framework for demonstrating how leisure concepts and assessments guide occupational therapy practice.

The representation of leisure in corporate publicity material: The case of a Finnish pine construction company

A common genre of corporate promotional materials in Finland is a video that introduces a company to various audiences, including customers, shareholders, and visitors to the company's offices. The video uses visuals, sounds, and text to establish the company's identity and credibility as well as informing the audience about company products. The video appeals to deep‐seated cultural values to promote its message. This study applied theories of both advertising and semiotics to analyze the first minute of a video produced for a Finnish company that manufactures log buildings and wraps its image around a concept of leisure.

Leisure and culture: Issues for an anthropology of leisure

The coverage of and interest in non‐Western and cross‐cultural aspects of leisure seems to be on the increase in leisure studies. Although this is a welcome trend in the current climate of multiculturalism, there is currently no systematic agenda for the anthropological study of leisure. I suggest that four issues should be addressed to serve as a foundation for an anthropology of leisure. These include (a) the ethnography of leisure, (b) the cross‐cultural validity of the concept of leisure, (c) leisure and adaptation, and (d) leisure and the evolution of culture. Although my position is scientific, materialistic, and comparative, researchers who bring other perspectives can also contribute to the cross‐cultural understanding of leisure. Most important, anthropologists must come to realize that leisure is a topic worth their attention, and leisure researchers must make use of anthropological resources and not just reprise old and erroneous beliefs about leisure and culture that have become canonical in the field.

Casual leisure: a conceptual statement

Since 1982, the year the serious leisure perspective was first set out, the concept of casual leisure has served mostly as a foil for sharpening understanding of that framework. Yet casual leisure is a distinctive activity in itself and an important part of the contemporary leisure scene, suggesting that it, too, should be conceptually elaborated just as serious leisure was earlier. Thus the principal goal of this article is to present a theoretical statement defining casual leisure as a separate field demarcated by its own special properties. To this end, a definition of casual leisure is presented after which its six types are described. This is followed by a section on hedonism and other rewards and one on deviant leisure, both casual and serious.