Social Worlds and the Leisure Experience

Robert A. Stebbins
Emerald
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Paperback / softback
9781787697164
30 October 2018
$71.99
eBook (PDF)
9781787697133
30 October 2018
$53.99
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9781787697157
30 October 2018
$53.99

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  • Description
  • Contents
  • Reviews
  • About
Scholars in leisure studies have amassed an impressive record of knowledge bearing on the social worlds of diverse serious pursuits, yet this sphere of modern life still needs a coherent statement about what social worlds consist of, what they do, and where they fit in social theory. The core activities at the base of the leisure experience are pursued within the social world that encompasses such activity. To understand more fully why people are attracted to and continue with a serious pursuit, we must also understand its social world. 

This concept is anchored in social theory and, in the domain of leisure, the serious leisure perspective. The social world and its accompanying ethos are centrally implicated as one of six distinctive qualities of the serious pursuits. Taking inspiration from Anselm Strauss, this book discusses the members of leisure social worlds and the activities they enthusiastically pursue, as well as examining the culture and communications of these worlds.

List of Tables and Figures Preface 1. Conceptual Framework 2. Members and Their Activities 3. Culture and Communications 4. Conclusions References Index

    The author examines the social organization of the modern leisure experience of amateurs, hobbyists, and career volunteers, showing how activities are organized on a routine basis to facilitate their pursuit, and what happens to impact them. He discusses the concept of social world, the serious leisure perspective, and the qualities of serious pursuit; members of leisure social worlds and the activities they pursue, such as cogitative, artistic, and collecting pursuits and volunteering; their culture and communications; and the issue of the differences separating the casual and serious leisure social worlds.

    - Annotation ©2018
    Robert A. Stebbins is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology at the University of Calgary, Canada. He has written over 250 articles and chapters and written or edited more than 50 books, including Serious Leisure, Between Work and Leisure, Leisure’s Legacy: Challenging the Common-Sense View of Free Time and The Idea of Leisure. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.