1st Edition
Family Events Practices, Displays and Intimacies
An unprecedented exploration of the intersection of events and family studies, Family Events uses events as a lens through which to explore the concepts of families, family practices, family displays and family intimacies.
Family Events explores the idea that how families come to be and, moreover, come to be defined as ‘families’ relies on events: whether that be via ‘family events’ – those which serve to celebrate being part of ‘my’ family – (e.g., birthdays, weddings, funerals), ‘events experienced as a family’ (e.g., a holiday or day trip) or ‘events which impact families’ (e.g., recession, war, global health emergency). Family Events brings together contributions from the social sciences, leisure and event studies which focus on a variety of different event contexts, including the life cycle, death and illness, sport, holidays, and community and religious festivals.
Family Events offers a multitude of insightful perspectives on the intersection of events and family studies, and is a valuable resource for academics and students with a research interest in events, leisure and the family.
Introducing Family Events: Practices, Displays and Intimacies
Thomas Fletcher
Section 1: Family Events, Display and Identity
1. Community Events as a Context for Displaying Family Practices and Identity
Charlene S. Shannon
2. Pinterest Perfect Picture: The Relationship Between Family Events and Social Media
Iryna Sharaievska and Mona Mirehie
3. Appraising Parkrun as a Family Event
James Bowness, John McKendrick and Emmanuelle Tulle
Section 2: Family Events, Memories and Memory Making
4. Memories of Family Events and their Resonance in a Lancashire Park Space
Alex McDonagh
5. Local Event, Family and Music: The Rootedness of Cultural Heritage
Ana Gonçalves
6. Local Community Events as ‘Balance Leisure Activities’: Creating and Enhancing Family Well-Being
Raphaela Stadler and Allan Jepson
Section 3: Family Events, Culture, Religion and Heritage
7. Religious Events: Celebrating Eid-al-Fitr as a Family
Jaffer Idris, Charlotte Rowley and M. Jabar Yaqub
8. Faith, Family and Tradition: Fifty Plus Years of the Annual Cochran Go-Around
Brenda P. Wiggins, George O. Sappenfield and Alan Harris
9. Family Events as Sites for Racism and Anti-Racism
Jacqueline K. Nelson
Section 4: Family Events and the Life Course
10. Life Course Events as a Tool to Make Sociology Relevant to Everyday Life
A. L. Sinikka Dixon
11. "I’m a Widow, Not a Sports Widow. Negotiating Families, Grief and Loss Through Sports Charity Events
Catherine Palmer
Section 5: Family Events and Extended Families
12. Grandleisure Events: Grandparents and Grandchildren Spending Special Time Together
Heike Schänzel
13. Family Life and Celtic Football Club: A Site of Connection
Joseph. M Bradley
14. Agricultural Shows, Connectivity and Families of Choice
Caroline Westwood and Carolyn Gibbeson
15. Childhood Cancer as a Family Event and the Professional Surrogate Family
Emma Holland
Biography
Thomas Fletcher is a Reader in the School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management at Leeds Beckett University. His primary research interests are in equality and diversity, social justice and families within the contexts of sport, leisure and events. He is the author of Negotiating Fatherhood: Sport and Family Practices. Tom was Chair of the Leisure Studies Association between 2017 and 2021.
