1st Edition
Contemporary Perspectives in Leisure Meanings, Motives and Lifelong Learning
We are entering a new era of leisure. Quality rather than quantity is now the focus of researchers, policymakers and managers. Technological change, an ageing population and a harsh economic climate are changing the values and practices of leisure, as well as the relationship between leisure, society and the individual.
Contemporary Perspectives in Leisure uses a variety of disciplinary approaches to introduce the most important trends in contemporary leisure in the Twenty-First Century. With contributions from some of the leading international figures in modern leisure studies, the book examines key philosophical and theoretical debates around leisure, with reference to concepts such as happiness, enjoyment and quality of life, as well as the most interesting contemporary themes in leisure studies, from youth leisure and ‘dark’ leisure to technology and adventure.
Understanding changes in leisure helps us to better understand changes in wider society. Contemporary Perspectives in Leisure is a perfect companion to any course in leisure studies, and useful reading for any student or scholar working in sociology, cultural studies, recreation, tourism, sport, or social psychology.
Part 1: Meanings Ch 1. Leisure in the Laboratory and Other Strange Notions: Psychological Research on the Subjective Nature of Leisure - Roger Mannell Ch 2. Escape from time: Experience the travel within - Pete McGrath Ch 3. Leisure, Happiness and Positive Lifestyle - Robert A. Stebbins Ch 4. Leisure, Life, Enjoyment and Well-Being - John Howarth Ch 5. Deviance, Dark Tourism and ‘Dark Leisure’: Towards a (re)configuration of morality and the taboo in secular society - Phil Stone and Richard Sharpley Part 2: Motives Ch 6. The Unsustainability of Leisure: The Sustainability of Just Leisure - Karla Henderson Ch 7. Playing In The Great Outdoors: Risk and Adventure Activities In The Twenty-first Century - Paul Beedie Ch 8. Sites of Serious Leisure: Acting Up In Space and Place - Sam Elkington Ch 9. I am what I pretend to be: Performance and Deception in Leisure - Sean Gammon Ch 10. The Technological Mediation of Leisure in Contemporary Society - Jo Bryce Ch 11. How Not to Take the Fun out of Everything: Facilitating Volunteering and Leisure - Steven Howlett Ch 12. Youth and Leisure Experiences: Youth cultures and social change in Britain since the early-20th century - Ken Roberts Part 3: Learning Ch 13. Reflective Leisure, Freedom and Identity - Hayden Ramsey Ch 14. The Comprehensive Leisure Participation Framework: Theoretical Foundation, Cross-Cultural Variation, and Practical Implications - Gordon Walker Ch 15. Leisure, Identities and Personal Growth - Scott Cohen Ch 16. Models of Teaching in Leisure Education - Sam Elkington and Mike Watkins Ch 17. To Boldly Go … Tales From a Leisurist - Lesley Lawrence
Biography
Sam Elkington is a senior lecturer in Sport Management and a teaching fellow at the University of Bedfordshire, UK. His research reflects his interests in phenomenology and pedagogy, namely, the social psychological dimensions of sport and leisure experiences and the nature, policy and practice of sport and leisure education.
Sean J. Gammon is based in the School of Sport, Tourism and the Outdoors at the University of Lancashire, UK. He is widely published in the area of sport-related tourism and continues to explore the linkages between sport, nostalgia and heritage. In addition he has researched the effectiveness of applying autotelic structures in the delivery of higher education courses to improve student creativity.