Leisure from International Voices · 2018-08-16 · John R. Tower..... 11 3 Leisure in Brazil: Trends and Perspectives in a Contemporary Society Ricardo R. Uvinha and Edmur A

Karla A. Henderson and Atara SivanEditors

Leisurefrom

International Voices

https://www.sagamorepub.com/products/leisure-international-voices

Leisure fromInternational Voices

Karla A. HendersonAtara Sivan

Editors


©2017 Sagamore–Venture Publishing LLCAll rights reserved.

Publishers: Joseph J. Bannon and Peter L. BannonSales and Marketing Manager: Misti GillesSales and Marketing Assistant: Kimberly VecchioDirector of Development and Production: Susan M. DavisProduction Coordinator: Amy S. DagitGraphic Designer: Marissa Willison

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017958304 ISBN print edition: 978-1-57167-887-4 ISBN ebook: 978-1-57167-888-1

Printed in the United States.

1807 N. Federal Dr.Urbana, IL 61801www.sagamorepublishing.com


Dedicated toCor Westland,

for his inspiring commitment to world leisure and recreation



ContentsAcknowledgments ............................................................................................................... viiPreface .................................................................................................................................... ixContributors .......................................................................................................................... xi

1 Leisure from International Voices: A Prologue Karla A. Henderson and Atara Sivan.........................................................................1

2 The Paradox of Australian Leisure John R. Tower ............................................................................................................. 11

3 Leisure in Brazil: Trends and Perspectives in a Contemporary Society Ricardo R. Uvinha and Edmur A. Stoppa ............................................................... 23

4 Our Home and Native Land: Understanding Leisure in a Diverse and Evolving Canada Janet K. L. McKeown, Zara E. Rafferty, and Mark E. Havitz ............................... 35

5 Leisure in China Lijun Zhou ................................................................................................................. 47

6 Leisure in Ghana: Whence and Whither? Aaron Yankholmes .................................................................................................... 55

7 Leisure in Asia’s World City: Voices from Hong Kong Atara Sivan and Gertrude Siu.................................................................................. 67

8 Hungarian Leisure Development from Different Perspectives Miklos Banhidi .......................................................................................................... 77

9 Israel, Leisure, and the Reinvention of an Ancient Nation Elie Cohen-Gewerc .................................................................................................... 89

10 Leisure from International Voices: A Kenyan Perspective Jane Wanjiku Kamau, Daniel Gaita Njenga, Yasmin Goodwin, Nkatha Muthomi, and Jonathan Kimtai Rotich ................................................... 101

11 Korean Leisure and Tourism Under Modernity and Globalization Sokho Choe .............................................................................................................. 113

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12 Leisure Lifestyles in Multicultural Malaysia Kwan Meng Lee and Selina Khoo .......................................................................... 127

13 Focusing on Leisure from a Mexican Perspective Adriana E. Estrada-González ................................................................................ 137

14 Leisure from International Voices: The Case of the Netherlands Jan W. Te Kloeze ...................................................................................................... 147

15 Leisure Below Down-under: A Voice from New Zealand Neil Carr .................................................................................................................. 159

16 Sierra Leone: Living a Leisure Lifestyle Abubakarr Jalloh ..................................................................................................... 169

17 Leisure in South Africa: Choices, Challenges, and Consequences Subaluxmi Naidoo................................................................................................... 177

18 Leisure in Spain Cristina Ortega Nuere and Ana Viñals Blanco .................................................... 187

19 Working Hard, Playing Hard: Leisure in Switzerland Aurelia Kogler-Bahl................................................................................................. 199

20 Taiwanese Leisure: Opportunities and Constraints with a Focus on Women Lucetta Tsai .............................................................................................................. 209

21 The Conception and Perception of Leisure in Turkey Bülent Gürbüz ......................................................................................................... 217

22 Leisure in Uganda: Voices from Baganda Constance A. N. Nsibambi ..................................................................................... 229

23 Leisure, Consumption, and the Speed Up of Time in the United States David Scott............................................................................................................... 239

24 Leisure from International Voices: An Epilogue Atara Sivan and Karla A. Henderson.................................................................... 249

Index ................................................................................................................................... 253

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AcknowledgmentsWe would like to thank Sagamore–Venture Publishing, and especially Peter

Bannon, for giving us an opportunity to publish this book. Further, we want to thank the contributors of these chapters who spent hours refining their ideas to present a personal and professional voice about leisure from their perspectives. Finally, we want to acknowledge the special friendship and collegiality that we as co-editors have developed over the years, and especially since we took a walk on a Durban, South African beach and hatched the idea for this book. We are one small part of a community of practice that is advocating for leisure around the world.

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PrefaceThis book began as a result of a conversation between Atara Sivan and Karla

Henderson on a long walk along a beach in Durban, South Africa, in September 2013. We were both invited speakers to the Leisure and Recreation Association of South Africa (LARASA) Conference. We had known each other for almost two decades as a result of our shared commitments to the World Leisure Organization (WLO). We have been involved on the WLO Board of Directors and had worked together on the World Leisure Journal, which Atara has edited since 2012.

Karla had long had the desire to edit a book about international leisure, but many other professional commitments took priority. When Peter Bannon asked Karla to consider writing a book for Sagamore, the one idea she had not pursued prior to her retirement in 2014 was a book about international leisure perspectives. No one else was better qualified to co-edit than Atara. Atara’s Israeli heritage, interest in leisure education, and her decades of living in Hong Kong provided a complementary viewpoint to Karla’s American background related to diversity and gender.

This book is a labor of love. It is our way of highlighting how important we believe leisure is in the lives of people throughout the world and how it is universal in its value. Yet, leisure is also imagined and practiced in various ways based on geographic areas and their associated cultures. We wanted to add a personal approach to how individual scholars understand leisure and its meanings.

Since chapters are presented from six continents, we provide a broad perspective. We did not seek to have a definitive chapter with a generalized view from each country, but wanted to highlight particular perspectives from individuals who have given considerable thought to leisure and leisure activities from their sociocultural perspectives. We also wanted to assure that each voice was equal, so we only invited one offering from each country. Therefore, the chapter from the United States is given the same space as the one from Sierra Leone. Further, the chapters are presented in alphabetical order by country/region so no chapter is prioritized over another.

We recognize that generalizing in any one country is impossible since all countries have a diversity of people. However, we wanted to provide a sense of the essence of leisure and how it perceived, practiced, and studied in particular countries/regions. We also wanted to highlight the challenges associated with advocating for leisure from diverse standpoints. We saw many similarities as noted in the epilogue of this book. At the same time, we also saw how sociocultural perspectives provide a rich range of interests and understandings of leisure

Our desire for this book is that it gives readers new ideas to think about beyond their own cultural or country of origin outlooks. Globalization is changing the ways we view the world and has both positive and negative implications for the enjoyment of leisure in the ways it is manifested. We recognize that viewing each of these countries/


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regions as a discrete chapter is not always possible, but the geographic divisions provide a starting point for examining a collective leisure in the past, present, and future.

We hope you will find these chapters interesting and that they will help to emphasize the importance of leisure to individuals and communities throughout the world.

Karla and Atara


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Contributors

Miklos Banhidi (Hungary) is currently working at the Szechenyi University as professor and head of the Recreation Management and Health Promotion program. He teaches recreation management and sport and health tourism classes. His main research interest is the geography of leisure, sport, and tourism, and he has published articles on these topics nationally and internationally. He served as vice president of the United Games International Organization, as a member on the board of the Hungarian Sport Science Association, and is on the board of directors of the World Leisure Organization.

Ana Viñals Blanco (Spain) is a graduate in advertising and public relations from the University of the Basque Country. She recently gained a doctorate in leisure and human development from Duesto University thanks to a grant from the Basque Government for Training of Research Personnel (FPI). Professionally she has worked in the field of communication, event production, and educational management. She is interested in digital leisure and leisure education, young people, digital and social technologies, the digital culture, and the educational sphere.

Neil Carr (New Zealand) is a professor and head of the Department of Tourism at the University of Otago as well as the editor of Annals of Leisure Research. His research focuses on understanding behavior within tourism and leisure experiences with a particular emphasis on animals, children and families, and sex. Professor Carr’s recent publications include Dogs in the Leisure Experience (2014) and an edited book entitled Domestic Animals and Leisure (2015).

Sokho Choe (South Korea) is director of the Research Centre for Leisure Management and professor in the Department of Tourism Management at Seoul Theological University. He has published articles and books on globalization of leisure and civilizing process of culture. K-Pop, heritage tourism, and leisure industry are topics of his empirical concern. He is serving the World Leisure Organization as a member of International Advisory Board of World Leisure Journal, and the World Hotel Association and the Tourism Sciences Society of Korea as vice-president. He organized the 11th World Leisure Congress in Chuncheon in 2010.

Elie Cohen-Gewerc (Israel) is a senior lecturer and researcher in Beit Berl College (Israel). Freedom and the human challenge of being free is the main issue he investigates. He was director on the board of directors of the Israel Broadcasting Authority and contributed to enlarge the part of arts. His interest was intensified thanks to the tight collaboration with Prof. Hillel Ruskin to improve leisure education in general and teacher training in the field. He coordinates with other researchers on a national forum that aim to promote research and discussions about leisure and its various connections with life.


Adriana E. Estrada-González (Mexico) is a leisure and tourism professor in the Faculty of Business Studies at Universidad de Monterrey. Her research interests are in the field of leisure, leisure education, edutainment, and tourism management and marketing with a focus on social tourism. Dr. Estrada-González has served as a member of the World Leisure Organization’s (WLO) Board of Directors. She delivered the Hillel Ruskin Memorial Scholar Lecture at WLO in 2014 and focused on the relevance of a pre-retirement program in a university environment.

Yasmin Goodwin (Kenya) holds a doctorate in human movement science from North West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa. She is the chairperson of the Department of Physical and Health Education at Kenyatta University. She is a lecturer of Principles of Training and Conditioning, Prevention and Management of Sports Injuries, Swimming, Aerobics, and Dance. She has taught in Kenyatta University for over 30 years, and consequently mentored all students in the Departments of Physical Education, Recreation Management and Exercise Science.

Bülent Gürbüz (Turkey) was awarded a PhD in recreation by the Gazi University, Ankara. He studied as a visiting scholar at the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management of North Carolina State University. Prof. Gürbüz is currently employed by Kirikkale University, where he serves as the head of the Recreation Department and vice-dean of Sport Sciences Faculty. He co-authored two books, titled Urbanization and Recreation (2006) and Total Quality Management in Sport Services (2006). He is the founding member and the current president of multidisciplinary Recreation Studies and Research Association.

Mark Havitz (Canada) is a professor in the University of Waterloo’s Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies. His research has focused on public and nonprofit leisure marketing and understanding ego involvements, commitments and loyalties in sport, tourism, recreation, and family contexts. He is a fellow in the Academy of Leisure Sciences and the World Leisure Academy. His leisure interests include running, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, and historical research. Canada is his adopted home. He and his wife, Sue, enjoy their Southampton cottage and walking their dogs in Kitchener’s neighborhoods and parks.

Karla A. Henderson (Co-editor, USA) is currently professor emeritus in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at North Carolina State University. Karla has given numerous presentations throughout the world and has published regularly in a variety of journals in the field as well as is the author, co-author, or co-editor of 18 books. She is a fellow in the Academy of Leisure Sciences, American Academy of Parks and Recreation Administrators, and the World Leisure Academy. In 2011, Dr. Henderson was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.

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Abubakarr Jalloh (Sierra Leone) is a regional recruiter/representative of the Iowa Department of Education. He also serves as the World Leisure Organization (WLO) United Nations (UN) Representative and is on the board of directors for WLO. Previously he worked at the University of Northern Iowa’s Institute for Youth Leaders as a research associate and in the Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions for the UN. Mr. Jalloh’s relevant publications have appeared in the World Leisure Journal; Hong Kong Recreation Review; African Journal of Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance; and the International Leisure Review.

Jane Wanjiku Kamau (Kenya) is a senior lecturer in the Department of Recreation Management and Exercise Science, Kenyatta University, Kenya. She is the immediate former chair of the department and is currently serving as the director, Kenyatta University Community Outreach and Extension Programmes. She also lectures in the Department of Recreation Management and Exercise Science, specializing in human physiology, exercise physiology, and sports biomechanics. Dr. Kamau is a member of the Kenyatta University Ethical Review Board and The Kenyatta University wellness board.

Selina Khoo (Malaysia) is an associate professor at the Sports Centre, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Her research interests are related to participation of sports and physical activity in various populations. She serves on national and international committees, including the Asian Society for Adapted Physical Education and Exercise and the Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport. Selina was recently appointed to be the Global Observatory for Physical Activity’s country contact for Malaysia. Her current research projects are related to participation in physical activity funded by High Impact Research grants from the University of Malaya and Ministry of Education.

Aurelia Kogler-Bahl (Switzerland) is founder and CEO of MONTCON Tourismus, a consultancy specialized on the strategic support of Ski Resorts, Luxury Hotels, and Alpine Destinations in Austria and Switzerland (www.montcon.at). Furthermore, she is professor of Tourism and Leisure Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Chur (HTW Chur) in Switzerland. Her special academic and practical research interests are strategic marketing and management topics related to health tourism, luxury tourism, mountain tourism, and leisure management. She has published research articles both in scientific journals and popular magazines, and is invited as a speaker at academic and professional events around the world.

Janet McKeown (Canada) is an assistant professor (Limited Term Appointment) in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at Brock University. She has traveled in five of 10 provinces in Canada, but zero territories (clearly she still has some travelling to do). Her research interests are broad, but most recently have included women’s leisure, intimate and personal relationships, pop culture, digital technologies, and qualitative methodologies. Her top leisure activities include eating, drinking wine, singing karaoke (not well), snuggling, and worry-free floating in the waves of Lake Huron.

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Kwan Meng Lee (Malaysia) is a fellow with the Institute for Youth Research of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia as well as a freelance consultant. His academic interests are in leisure and recreation, outdoor recreation, sport-for-all, youth development, professionalization of youth work, youth mentoring, youth social entrepreneurship, and NGO management. He is a member of World Leisure Organization, International Society for Eastern Sports and Physical Education, and World Recreation Education Association. He is also engaged with the Commonwealth Youth Programme as a youth project consultant.

Nkatha Muthomi (Kenya) is a lecturer in the Department of Recreation Management and Exercise Science in Kenyatta University, Kenya. Her research interests include aquatic sports and activities, leisure counseling and change management, exercise adherence, sports and fashion, team building and conflict management, and outdoor adventure pursuits and leadership. She co-ordinates the Graceful Transition to Adulthood Program that uses outdoor adventure as alternative rites-of-passage avenue for boys and girls in Kenya.

Subaluxmi Naidoo (South Africa) is an honorary research fellow at the University of KwaZulu Natal, Westville Campus, Durban. She is passionate about community development, and much of her effort has been directed toward curriculum development to address the skills shortage in the recreation and leisure field. As the founding member and head of the Leisure and Recreation Association of South Africa, she is involved in hosting conferences to connect academics and boost networks for research collaborations. Her main research interests are inclusion, policy development, and strategic planning.

Daniel Gaita Njenga (Kenya) is currently a PhD candidate and teaching assistant at Kenyatta University in the Department of Recreation Management and Exercise Science. He has research interests in sports and recreational pursuits for persons with disabilities. He also has a growing expertise in outdoor and experiential recreation and education. Prior to his current appointment, he headed several sports and recreational departments in various institutions.

Constance A. N. Nsibambi (Uganda) is a senior lecturer and head of the Sportscience Department at Kyambogo University, Uganda. She holds a doctorate in exercise science and specialized in health and fitness. She has authored and co-authored articles about health and physical activity. Her teaching areas include exercise physiology as well as sports injuries and rehabilitation. She also has experience in teaching and supervising research in the area of sport and leisure management. Currently, she is the treasurer of the Africa Sport Management Association.

Cristina Ortega Nuere (Spain) is chief academic and operating officer of the World Leisure Organization since January 2016. She combines her principal professional activity with teaching at the master’s level at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunja and as an invited professor in different universities such as the University of New York,

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USA, and the University of Zhejiang, China. Cristina holds a doctorate in Leisure and Human Development, with a master’s degree in leisure management specializing in cultural management, she graduated from the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy from the University of Deusto, Spain, and completed her studies in London, Middlesex, and at Westminster University. Previous to her present work, she has worked for over two decades at the University of Deusto as professor and researcher, the last five years as director of the Institute of Leisure Studies and principal researcher of the official research group on leisure and human development.

Zara Rafferty (Canada) is a lecturer in the University of Waterloo’s Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies. Her teaching interests include child and youth development, experiential education, inclusivity and equity, and children’s play. Zara’s interest in early literacy and the potential impact of leisure-reading experiences led her to develop a program at the University of Waterloo called “Reading with the Warriors” that brings student-athletes into elementary classrooms for story time. In her leisure time, she enjoys reading, eating (but not cooking), travelling, and playing volleyball.

Jonathan Kimtai Rotich (Kenya) is an outdoor technician in the Department of Recreation Management and Exercise Science, Kenyatta University. He is an enthusiastic consultant in outdoor programs, and part-time outdoor facilitator with the Kenya School of Adventure and Leadership. He has interests in theory and practice of leisure, recreation and sports, outdoor adventure and training, and leisure and environment. He is the patron of the Evergreen Movement of Kenyatta University, which focuses on youth mentorship on environmental conservation through leisure pursuits as the platform for advocacy.

David Scott (USA) is a professor in the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on recreation specialization, serious leisure, and leisure constraints, and he has published in numerous scholarly journals. David has served as the editor of the Journal of Leisure Research from 2002 to 2007. He was elected as a fellow to the Academy of Leisure Sciences in 2007, and was the 2011 recipient of the Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt Award for Excellence in Recreation and Park Research presented annually by National Recreation and Park Association.

Gertrude Po-Kwan Siu (Hong Kong) is a nurse educator who has been involved in various mental health nursing programs in Hong Kong, including registered and enrolled, hospital-based, and university programs. She pursued her PhD in education in the area of adolescents’ serious leisure. She is an active member of the World Leisure Organization – Hong Kong Chapter and has worked on a research project on Hong Kong adolescents’ self-exploration in leisure. She has been teaching at the Open University of Hong Kong.

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Atara Sivan (Co-editor, Hong Kong) is professor and head of the Department of Education Studies at the Hong Kong Baptist University. For the past six years she has been the associate dean for learning and teaching of the Faculty of Social Sciences. Her research focuses on leisure education and she has contributed to the body of knowledge through numerous journal articles, books, and presentations in international conferences worldwide. Atara served as a scientific consultant for the development of the first comprehensive curriculum for schools in Israel. She is the editor-in-chief of the World Leisure Journal, president and fellow of the World Leisure Academy, and the founder and president of the World Leisure Organization–Hong Kong Chapter.

Edmur Antonio Stoppa (Brazil) has a PhD in physical education from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in the field of leisure studies. He is currently an assistant professor of the Graduate Program in Tourism and Graduate Program in Physical Activity Sciences at the University of Sao Paulo (USP). He is co-leader of the Interdisciplinary Group of Leisure Studies/ USP and a member of the Lab and Research on the Formation and Professional Performance in Leisure (ORICOLÉ/UFMG).

Jan W. Te Kloeze (Netherlands) was a lecturer in the Sociology of Recreation and Tourism at Wageningen University and Research Centre, the Netherlands. He was also the WL-WUR, Wageningen International Centre of Excellence Programme Director of the MSc Course on “Leisure, Tourism and Environment” at this university. He is Chair of the Foundation WICE-DSL (Wageningen International Centre of Excellence for the Development of Sustainable Leisure), and also the Treasurer of RC50, the Research Committee on International Tourism of the ISA (International Sociological Association). He has published books and papers on family and leisure, religion and leisure, camping and caravanning, recreation in national parks, cultural tourism, and agritourism and ecotourism.

John Tower (Australia) has been working in the leisure, recreation, and sport industry for over 40 years with a particular interest in community recreation and sport participation and the delivery of community recreation and sport services. John is an honorary research fellow in Victoria University’s Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL). Dr. Tower is the current president of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Leisure Studies and is also an executive committee member on the board for World Leisure Organization.

Chiung-Tzu Lucetta Tsai (Taiwan) is a professor of leisure and sport management in the Business School of National Taipei University in Taiwan. Dr. Tsai is also president of Chinese Taipei Waterski and Wakeboard Federation and the Taiwan Leisure Association. She is currently serving as a member of the board of directors for the World Leisure Organization. She was commissioner in the Gender Equality Committee in the Cabinet in Taiwan from 2014 to 2016. Dr. Tsai has written on the topic of women in leisure and sport extensively. She is editor-in-chief of International Leisure Review and associate editor of Leisure Sciences.

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Ricardo Ricci Uvinha (Brazil) is an associate professor of the graduate program in Tourism and the graduate program in Physical Activity Sciences, University of Sao Paulo (USP). He holds a PhD in tourism and leisure from the USP and a postdoctorate in leisure studies from Griffith University, Australia. Dr. Uvinha is the author of articles and books focused on leisure, physical education, and tourism, and was the recipient of the University of Sao Paulo Outstanding Teaching Award. Former president of the Brazilian Association for Leisure Studies ANPEL, he served the World Leisure Organization in the Board of Directors for 10 years. He is currently co-leader of the Interdisciplinary Group of Leisure Studies/USP, founding member of the World Leisure Academy, and chairman of the scientific committee of the 15th World Leisure Congress in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Aaron Yankholmes (Ghana) is a visiting assistant professor at the Institute for Tourism Studies (Macao). His research interests span a range of topics in leisure and tourism management. Currently he is pursuing two main lines of research that relate to interrelationships between people, places, and spaces. He is interested in the impact of place attachment and the development of multiple place attachments on the patterns and pleasure travel habits of expatriates. Another line of research explores the dialectic between memory and nostalgia in leisure and tourism contexts. Aaron is an active member of the World Leisure Organization.

Lijun (Jane) Zhou (China) is currently a professor at Zhejiang University. She has served as a member of the board of directors of the World Leisure Organization since 2011. She has been a distinguished visiting professor at the University of Northern Iowa and a guest professor at University College in Dublin, Ireland. Her research focuses on multicultural leisure behavior and leisure programming. She has published more than 30 papers in journals nationally and internationally, and has received grants to study leisure for RMB 1,800,000.

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Together at leisure in nature. Editors Karla A. Henderson and Atara Sivan. Photo by Atara Sivan


Leisure from International Voices: A Prologue

The ideas of leisure and play are as old as civilization. Notions of leisure have existed since the beginnings of recorded history, and likely long before. For example, from a Judeo-Christian perspective, the story of Eve and Adam suggests the Garden of Eden was a place of abundance full of leisure opportunities. The curse that God placed was to toil instead of to leisure. Veal and Lynch (2001) described the historical and contemporary leisure of Aboriginal people in Australia related to how pleasure, satisfactions, and

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Karla A. HendersonNorth Carolina State University

Atara SivanHong Kong Baptist University

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4 Prologue

playfulness were and continue to be woven into and around the activities of everyday life. The Eastern cultures in the Tao Te Ching also emphasize the notion of leisure:

There is a time for being ahead,a time for being behind;a time for being in motion,a time for being at rest;a time for being vigorous,a time for being exhausted;a time for being safe,a time for being in danger… Mitchell (translation, 1992, selection 29) The meanings of leisure are also interpreted in examples of cultures through religion.

All worldwide religions appear to emphasize elements of leisure and recreation in their teachings (Kaza, 1996). For example, from Judaism, the concept of Sabbath is emphasized in letting the body rest. Christians stress notions of right action in all (including leisure) that people undertake. Islam focuses on remembrance and the importance of work and play experiences within the moral law. Hindus teach the value of karma and the law of cause and effect regarding any action including implications for free time. Buddhism focuses on the interdependence (i.e., yin-yang) of what people do (e.g., leisure-work).

The two of us, Karla and Atara, have been involved in the study of leisure for a combined total of over 70 years. We have also been involved with the World Leisure Organization (formerly known as World Leisure and Recreation Association) since the 1980s and 1990s. Over those years, we have sought to understand how leisure is understood by people around the world. We have advocated for the right to leisure for all individuals, but have also recognized how leisure is defined from different perspectives. We believe, as the World Leisure Organization has stated, “Even though the word leisure is not known everywhere in the world, leisure is of all times, places and societies” (World Leisure International Centre of Excellence, 2005).

The purpose of this edited book is to highlight how leisure is known in various countries/regions around the world based on the voices of contemporary and emerging professionals. This text is not the definitive definition of the meanings of leisure from particular geographic perspectives, but aims to identify the thinking of individuals who live daily and engage in leisure study and practice within a cultural context that reinforces, reproduces, and/or resists leisure.

We have asked authors to use standpoint theory as the basis for their contributions. Our understanding of standpoint theory emerges from feminists who first emphasized its importance. Standpoint theory acknowledges the perspective (i.e., standpoint) of the people in different, sometimes subordinate, positions in society. It emphasizes the voices of people who may not see the world in the same ways as others, particularly dominant cultures. With this introductory chapter as an overview, we welcome the perspectives representing many standpoints in this book.


Leisure From International Voices 5

What is Leisure?One of the ongoing discussions about leisure relates to its definition. Perhaps one of

the interesting aspects about leisure is that no one really agrees on what it means. However, when a word such as leisure can mean many things, sometimes it appears to mean little. Definitions of leisure seem to represent both formal concepts and informal notions.

The simplest Industrial Age model suggested that when an individual was not working for pay, then non-work was leisure. To have leisure, a person needed to be gainfully employed. This model has been actively critiqued by women, especially, since many women are involved in socially productive activities that are not paid, and many women and men find ways to experience leisure.

The tripartite definitions of leisure in North America described in the past 40 years revolve around the ideas that leisure can be defined as free time, activity, or a state of mind. These definitions have been analyzed and resisted in some ways. For example, free time is not leisure for all people. If an individual does not want free time (i.e., unemployed), or has nothing to do with this time (i.e., few opportunities or resources), he or she may not experience leisure. Further, although an activity such as football or soccer might be a leisure activity, not everyone will enjoy this activity. The psychological notion of leisure as a state of mind enables individuals to find meanings in their own ways. This personal understanding, however, is not something that can be easily understood sometimes because of varying cultural perspectives.

The most meaningful experiences of leisure probably incorporate all three of these traditional aspects—freedom to have time to participate in activities that are intrinsically rewarding. Leisure, further, is highly influenced by where it takes place (e.g., home, park, entertainment complex). In addition, the social and cultural context also determines what might be considered leisure. Places and spaces must be available for leisure as well as social contexts that support leisure opportunities.

Further, particular dimensions of leisure might be viewed as synonymous with leisure. For example, in the United States, one example of leisure might be involvement in recreational sports. In other countries, leisure and sports have the same meaning. In China, it appears that leisure and tourism are often used somewhat synonymously. In some countries, leisure and recreation are used nearly interchangeably but in other cultures, one or the other of these terms has little meaning.

When the idea of leisure is examined culturally, it may also have different meanings. For example, Lui, Yeh, Chick, and Zinn (2008) laid out common Chinese terms with meanings comparable to several common English language definitions of leisure. They described the history of understanding leisure based on the words (symbols) found in the Chinese language. In the end, they concluded that leisure has no boundaries and much more discussion is needed regarding leisure’s meanings from cultural perspectives.

Roberts (2010) offered an essay in the World Leisure Journal that included responses from five scholars from around the world. He posed the question of whether leisure (not leisure studies) is ethnocentric. Roberts concluded that, indeed, it was ethnocentric but that researchers and educators around the world were open to additional voices. Most of the re-sponding authors agreed with this analysis from their perspectives in Hong Kong, Portugal, the United States, Brazil, and Taiwan.


6 Prologue

Coalter (1997) showed an interesting contrast between the United Kingdom and the United States regarding leisure interpretations. Most of his comments related to the way that leisure studies are done including contrasting sociological verses psychological perspectives and whether leisure was a separate area of study compared to being a part of society. Henderson (2000; 2006) further discussed the false dichotomies reflected in those binary contrasts, and indicated that a broader understanding of definitions and understanding of leisure as not either/or in contrasting the United Kingdom and the United States, but both/and in moving forward.

Therefore, this book aims to identify the both/and dimensions of leisure from interna-tional voices. How is leisure understood in cultural contexts? How do individual scholars approach the study of leisure? What is the importance of leisure in society? Some of the perspectives on these questions come from an understanding of what leisure is and what leisure education entails.

Leisure EducationLeisure is often associated with education and lifelong learning. Similar to education, the

outcomes of leisure can be developing and or embodying knowledge, skills, and character. Arnold (1989) noted that Aristotle was the first to describe the relationship between leisure, education, and work, and he asked the question of whether the end of education is culture or whether it is to fit people for the business of life. From Aristotle’s perspective, leisure did not denote rest or recreation but was meant to be engaged with the highest capacities of the soul. Arnold further suggested that notions of education as leisure are Aristotelian and connote meanings of liberal education.

However, education as leisure is only one way that links leisure and education. Both leisure and education are significant domains of life that are complementary and interrelated in their roles and through the process of learning. Their profound and complementary relationships serve as the foundation for leisure education (Sivan, 2007). Through incorporating elements from both spheres of life, leisure education is described as content, context, and process. As content, it focuses on the subject matter and involves the supply of information and knowledge related to leisure, the teaching of skills and the provision of opportunities for participation in recreational activities (Mundy, 1998). As context, it includes leisure settings and situations for education (Henderson, 2007). As a process it involves an intervention in developmental transitions and tasks over the lifetime (Kleiber, 2011).

Whether as content, context, or process, the benefits of leisure education have been widely recognized. Leisure scholars from different disciplines and sociocultural contexts have listed personal and social gains ranging from acquisition and development of skills and attributes for personal growth in the West, to cultivation of leisure culture and social harmony in the East (Sivan & Stebbins, 2012).

Since the need to educate for leisure was first raised during the mid-1960s in the United States, it has since globally spread through international advocacy and position papers (e.g., World Leisure Commission on Education, 2000). In practice, recent globalization and competiveness trends in Asian societies brought about major educational changes elevating the need of leisure education for whole person development (Sivan, 2012, 2014). Leisure education is now globally recognized as significant for development, which draws more



attention to leisure in different contexts. Although leisure education may not be called by its name, reference to leisure as a substantial life domain is made in formal statements of education across a growing number of countries. The messages sent through these statements and how they affect peoples’ understandings of leisure in different contexts and cultures are some of the questions that we address in this book.

The Challenge of LeisureThis book is about what leisure means from the perspective of a diverse group of authors.

Part of the problem in talking about leisure in recent years is how it has been conflated with other concerns related to the future of leisure studies within higher education (e.g., Australian and New Zealand Association for Leisure Studies, 2009; Stebbins, 2011). Rowe (2002) observed that the concerns surrounding leisure studies may be more “institutionally rather than intellectually founded” (p. 6). These aspects are not mutually exclusive but may suggest different targets for concern.

This book is focused on intellectual and cultural foundations of leisure as a social phenomenon understood in similar and different ways. Some institutional concerns about leisure studies in Western countries are occurring, interestingly, at the same time the field gathers momentum in Asia, and some countries in the Middle East, South America, and Africa. Nevertheless, Lynch (1997) suggested that any crisis about leisure is ethnocentric in nature regardless of the dimensions discussed. Although curricula and research are important, advocating for leisure from a variety of intellectual and cultural perspectives is the intent of this book. Leisure exists in all cultures even though it might be embodied through different opportunities.

Leisure OpportunitiesThe premise of this book is that leisure may be interpreted in various ways and may

be expressed through a range of leisure opportunities. However, the potential of leisure as a means for individual as well as social development cannot be discounted. How leisure might be addressed as a right, a need, a privilege, and a responsibility are important to consider. Leisure is all of these aspects.

The World Leisure Organization almost two decades ago identified some common elements of leisure that should be the right of people in all countries called the Charter for Leisure (2000). What leverage statements such as these make in the way that governments facilitate opportunities is debatable, and further refinement of this document are warranted. However, the Charter provides some guidance in showing how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 24) indicates that all cultures and societies recognize to some extent the right to rest and leisure. Because personal freedom and choice are central elements of leisure, individuals can freely choose their activities and experiences, many of them leading to substantial benefits for person and community.

Articles1. All people have a basic human right to leisure activities that are in harmony with the

norms and social values of their compatriots. All governments are obliged to recognize and protect this right of its citizens.


8 Prologue

2. Provisions for leisure for the quality of life are as important as those for health and education. Governments must provide their citizens a variety of accessible leisure and recreational opportunities of the highest quality.

3. The individual is his/her best leisure and recreational resource. Thus, governments should ensure the means for acquiring those skills and understandings necessary to optimize leisure experiences.

4. Individuals can use leisure opportunities for self-fulfillment, developing personal relationships, improving social integration, developing communities and cultural identity, as well as promoting international understanding and co-operation and enhancing quality of life.

5. Governments must ensure the future availability of fulfilling leisure experiences by maintaining the quality of their country’s physical, social, and cultural environment.

6. Governments should ensure the training of professionals to help individuals acquire personal skills, discover and develop their talents, and to broaden their range of recreational opportunities.

7. Citizens must have access to all forms of leisure information about the nature of leisure and its opportunities, using it to enhance their knowledge and inform decisions on local and national policy.

8. Educational institutions must make every effort to teach the nature and importance of leisure and how to integrate this knowledge into personal lifestyle.

ConclusionsThe chapters in this book are designed to provide perspectives on how leisure is

understood from varied international voices and how leisure (and perhaps the elements of the Charter for Leisure) are implied and addressed. Although leisure may be perceived as ethnocentric, this book offers a way for people to see how leisure can be understood in similar ways as well as in different ways from different cultural perspectives. The authors of these chapters do not represent the way everyone thinks about leisure in their countries/regions, but they provide a sociocultural context for understanding leisure in broader ways.

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Stebbins, R. (2011). Leisure studies: The road ahead. World Leisure Journal, 53(1), 3–10.Veal, A. J., & Lynch, R. (2001). Australian leisure (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Longman.World Leisure Commission on Education (2000). International position statements on

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Eight Hour Day Monument in Melbourne Australia. Photo by John Tower


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