First published in 1938. This study examines various aspects of leisure in the early twentieth century. The author observes the differences in leisure between the various echelons of society, as well as the differences of leisure amongst children and adults. Durant also explores in depth several modes of leisure, including the cinema, sport, and gambling. This title will be of interest to students of history, sociology, and leisure studies.
First published in 1938. This study examines various aspects of leisure in the early twentieth century. The author observes the differences in leisure between the various echelons of society, as well as the differences of leisure amongst children and adults. Durant also explores in depth several modes of leisure, including the cinema, sport, and gambling. This title will be of interest to students of history, sociology, and leisure studies.
The tourism and leisure industries are big business. Opportunities for leisure and tourism have escalated as disposable income, technology, travel and education have become increasingly available in recent times. However, this trend has been juxtaposed with an increase in crime, particularly since the early the 1950s. Acquisitive crimes have been facilitated with the development of more portable and valuable commodities; some activities, such as drink driving and disorder, have now been socially defined as crimes and are more readily identified through new technology such as the increasing use of CCTV. The Problem of Pleasure covers them all. The purpose of this book is to inform and enlighten a range of readers, whose interests may be academic or commercial on possible crime events and modus operandi of criminals. The book has a global perspective, bringing together leading academics from the UK, the US, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand who examine several aspects of leisure that are vulnerable to crime, from illegal hunting to street racing, as well as the impact of crime upon tourists and the tourism industry. This book will be a key text for students of tourism and leisure as well as criminology and sociology; people working in the tourism and recreation industry; policy makers and the police.
The idea of a ‘leisure society’ was in its heyday in the 1960s and 1970s, when it was predicted that the pattern of falling working hours which had been experienced in Western societies in the first half of the twentieth century would continue indefinitely. The leisure society has clearly not been realised. On the contrary: contemporary industrial societies seem to be characterised by a shortage of time, experienced as ‘time squeeze’ and stress. The leisure society idea can be seen as the modern version of the age-old dream of a ‘life of ease and plenty’. This analytically and empirically rich book traces the idea in history, through biblical, classical Greek, medieval and nineteenth century utopian writings and into twentieth century concerns with dystopia and the impact of rapid technological change. The ‘leisure society’ concept turns out to have been an elusive and short-lived phenomenon. For a variety of reasons, the trend towards shorter working hours ran out of steam in the last quarter of the twentieth century. However, while leisure scholars have deserted the topic, a diverse range of activists, including environmentalists, economists and feminists, continue to make the case for reducing working hours. Whatever Happened to the Leisure Society? concludes that the on-going ‘struggle for time’ should be supported, for the sake of human health and well-being and for the sake of the planet. This is a valuable resource for students and academics in the fields of leisure studies, cultural studies, history, economics, sociology and political science.
Depuis Aristote, le loisir est un temps " libre ", c'est-à-dire propice à la réflexion ou à la méditation, ce que les Grecs considéraient comme le bien suprême de notre existence. Le loisir, pour des hommes libres, c'est l'occasion de penser leur liberté, de choisir la manière dont il vont assurer le progrès de leur connaissances (y compris la connaissance de soi), alors même qu'ils sont débarrassés des contraintes de la nécessité : le travail et la réussite sociale. Au fil du temps, se sont greffées à celle de loisir les notions de jeu, d'amusement, ou de récréation. La liberté devient ludique dans ce contexte et l'amusement l'expression d'une libre pratique de la vie en société. Activité autrefois réservée à une élite, le loisir a fini par s'insinuer dans l'ordre social, particulièrement en Amérique du Nord, où il voulait être plus égalitaire et, au cours des siècles, il s'est imposé comme l'un des pivots principaux de l'American Way of Life. Mais aux idéaux originels est venue subrepticement se substituer la logique du gain et de la réussite individuelle. A ceux qui penseraient encore le loisir comme un moyen d'élévation culturelle, l'instrumentalisation des loisirs dans une économie dominée par le profit dément cette idée. Qu'il s'agisse de tourisme, de voyages, de parcs d'attraction, ou plus simplement de cinéma ou de gastronomie, tout est prétexte à exalter la valeur financière du loisir par-delà ses valeurs esthétiques ou morales. Transformé en simple bien de consommation, le loisir ne cesse d'interroger les questions d'environnement, d'identité ethnique, ou de genre. A cet égard peut-on encore le considérer comme un facteur de libération sociale ou culturelle ? Crée-t-il les conditions favorables à la mise en œuvre d'un niveau de liberté, individuelle ou collective, plus élevé ? Il reste que le loisir, malgré ses dérives consuméristes n'en tient pas moins une place grandissante dans l'identité des peuples et dans le flux planétaire des cultures. A ce titre, il nous est aussi vital que le travail dont il est l'inévitable complément.
Established in 1895 as the first U.S. scholarly journal in its field, AJS remains a leading voice for analysis and research in the social sciences, presenting work on the theory, methods, practice, and history of sociology. AJS also seeks the application of perspectives from other social sciences and publishes papers by psychologists, anthropologists, statisticians, economists, educators, historians, and political scientists.
