Author: Karl Spracklen Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN: 1137329092 Category : Sports & Recreation Languages : en Pages : 272
Book Description
The way we organise our free time can reveal a great deal about our identities and ideology. This book explores what our sports and leisure choices can tell us about the society in which we live. Comprehensive, cutting edge and packed with global examples it covers all the essentials for students of sports and leisure sociology.
Author: A. J. Veal Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1351972022 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 310
Book Description
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.
Author: Barrie Houlihan Publisher: SAGE ISBN: 1446236994 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 734
Book Description
Praise for the First Edition: "Barrie Houlihan's astonishingly ambitious and skilfully assembled collection examines the relations between sport, social policy and the social context that underlies the two. Organized around such themes as exclusion, commercialism and international comparisons, the book allows the reader to understand not only the centrality of sport to contemporary society, but the often perplexing policies that contrive to encourage or deny participation, promote or deter public sector involvement and support or undermine physical education. Importantly, Houlihan never prioritises the general over the particular, always striving to find detail amid the bigger picture." - Ellis Cashmore, Professor of Culture, Media and Sport, Staffordshire University "The most comprehensive study of contemporary issues in sport by leading international scholars. Houlihan's book is the answer to sports students' prayers, full of information, statistics, tables and figures, extensive guides to further reading and, most important of all, challenging ideas. A weighty vademecum for the early 21st century." - Jim Riordan Honorary Professor of Sports Studies, University of Stirling, Professor Emeritus at University of Surrey, and President of the European Sports History Association Fully updated and revised, the Second Edition of Barrie Houlihan's ground-breaking book provides students and lecturers with a one-stop text that is comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, accessible, international and engaging. Sport and Society allows students to: Approach the study of sport from a multi-disciplinary perspective. Understand the importance of social structure, power and inequality in analyzing the nature and significance of sport in society. Address the rapid commercialization and regulation of sport. Engage in comparative analysis to understand problems clearly and produce sound solutions. Expand their knowledge through chapter summaries, guides to further reading and extensive bibliographies. This Second Edition contains five brand new chapters, which reflect recent concerns with: young athletes and human rights, sport and the city, sport and violence, sport and health, and sport and Islam. A superb teaching text, it will be relished by lecturers seeking an authoritative introduction to sport and society and students who want a relevant, enriching text for their learning and research needs.
Author: Human Kinetics Publisher: Human Kinetics ISBN: 0736082883 Category : Health & Fitness Languages : en Pages : 386
Book Description
"Leisure is everywhere, but its impact on people's lives is often overlooked. Leisure is more than “doing nothing” or “hanging out.” It has implications for society, affecting economics, politics, business, health, and the environment. On an individual level, it offers multiple opportunities for personal growth and development. And it contributes to a better quality of life for individuals and communities as a whole. With Dimensions of Leisure for Life: Individuals and Society, students will learn to understand and appreciate leisure and explore the ways that their leisure choices can help them lead happier, more balanced lives both now and in the future. ... With contributions from 22 leading professors, the book examines the following: the concept of leisure, including the various ways in which it has been defined and described, the benefits associated with it, the scope of the leisure industry field, and the basis for studying leisure as a social science; the impact of leisure on quality of life, health, physical activity and stress levels, and overall happiness and well-being; the social significance of leisure, including the interaction of leisure with history, contemporary society, technology, the environment, economics, and politics and public policy; the factors that influence each individual's leisure choices and level of involvement in leisure activities, such as awareness of local options, barriers of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, or socioeconomic status, geographic distribution of leisure spaces; and maturity level and stage of development."--Publisher.
Author: Daniel McLean Publisher: Jones & Bartlett Publishers ISBN: 1449689574 Category : Education Languages : en Pages : 356
Book Description
With a new full-color design with perforated worksheets, the Tenth Edition of Kraus' Recreation and Leisure in Modern Society provides a detailed introduction to the history, developments, and current trends in leisure studies. It addresses contemporary issues facing the recreation and leisure profession and focuses on challenges and opportunities that impact the profession now as well as years from now. Extensive research into emerging trends helps support the text and provide insights into the future. Focusing on the ten different types of organizations --ranging from nonprofit community organizations and armed forces recreation to sports management and travel and tourism sponsors -- this classic text text is an invaluable resource for students considering a career in the recreation and leisure industry. New to the Tenth Edition: - Discusses how specific trends, such as dramatic shifts in population make-up, the impact of technology, and marketing affect leisure-service systems and the recreation and park professions. - Focus on the role of parks and recreation on the health and wellness of our communities as well as means to combat the obesity epidemic in North America. - Includes new case studies which allow students to apply knowledge of technology in leisure, identify the value and benefits of play, and recognize the changing family structures of our modern society.
Author: Katherine Dashper Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1317751396 Category : Sports & Recreation Languages : en Pages : 359
Book Description
Despite the mythology of sport bringing people together and encouraging everyone to work collectively to success, modern sport remains a site of exclusionary practices that operate on a number of levels. Although sports participation is, in some cases at least, becoming more open and meritocratic, at the management level it remains very homogenous; dominated by western, white, middle-aged, able-bodied men. This has implications both for how sport develops and how it is experienced by different participant groups, across all levels. Critical studies of sport have revealed that, rather than being a passive mechanism and merely reflecting inequality, sport, via social agents’ interactions with sporting spaces, is actively involved in producing, reproducing, sustaining and indeed, resisting, various manifestations of inequality. The experiences of marginalised groups can act as a resource for explaining contemporary political struggles over what sport means, how it should be played (and by whom), and its place within wider society. Central to this collection is the argument that the dynamics of cultural identities are contextually contingent; influenced heavily by time and place and the extent to which they are embedded in the culture of their geographic location. They also come to function differently within certain sites and institutions; be it in one’s everyday routine or leisure pursuits, such as sport. Among the themes and issues explored by the contributors to this volume are: social inclusion and exclusion in relation to class, ‘race’ and ethnicity, gender and sexuality; social identities and authenticity; social policy, deviance and fandom. This book was published as a special issue of Sport in Society.
Author: Karl Spracklen
Author: A. J. Veal
Author: George Karlis
Author: Barrie Houlihan
Author: World Health Organization
Author: Daniel D. McLean
Author: Human Kinetics
Author: Stanley Robert Parker
Author: Daniel McLean
Author: Katherine Dashper