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This paper is a critical autoethnographic exploration of the racial inequalities in leisure and tourism studies by taking the case of the peer review process and the place of scholars of colour within it. Precisely, I challenge the White logic in the peer review process in leisure and tourism studies. While furthering recent scholars' efforts in attempting to challenge positivist epistemologies on mainstream leisure and tourism studies, I ask pertinent questions. Why does academia have to still allow/accept Euro-Amero-centric dogmas to dictate the peer review process? When will academia's enthralment with the 'White supremacy' (i.e. preaching the Others about scientific orthodoxy) come to an end, if at all? I explore how despite all the glorifying talks of diversity, inclusiveness, end of inequality, and sustainable development in academia, 'we still live in a wholly racialized world' where 'privileged whites are supposed to [and in reality] protect and perpetuate not only white myths but also raciology itself'. What if I were a White scholar? Would the reviewers then have made similar comments? This paper is an attempt to resist the hegemonic White logic so that the scholars of colour can theorise about their academic lives with dignity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ongoing debate exists on the role of sport for fostering hope in the lives of marginalised communities. Research acknowledges the complexity of agency, hope and emotions within sport in the lives of forced migrants and the danger of evangelical beliefs when thinking of hope as a solution to social problems. This paper presents the case of the ongoing Mediterranean crossings, where asylum-seekers go through deadly journeys to reach safety in Europe. It explores how the interplay between hope and football shapes their journeys, and how the widely popularised dreams of football success can result in extreme consequences for those willing to pursue them. It does so by taking into account primary data (n = 29 refugee participants) and secondary biographical data, of both accomplished footballers and aspiring footballers with a refugee background. Results show that there is a crucial necessity to acknowledge the multiplicity of identities and experiences contained within the refugee label. Attempts to associate refugees with conditions of stardom can be counterproductive towards beneficial outcomes, to the extent of being dangerous. Nonetheless, not all hope should be lost. The paper presents alternative avenues to better address the concept of hope in football for refugee well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of outdoor sports tourism has posed certain threats to the natural environment. In recent years, incidents of outdoor sports enthusiasts damaging ecological environments and historical sites have become increasingly common. Thus, it is imperative to encourage these enthusiasts to protect environmental ecosystems, and sustainability has become a priority consideration for those participating in outdoor sports tourism. This paper explores the multiple mediating roles of environmental knowledge and attitudes in the relationship between sustainable values and the pro-environmental behaviours of outdoor sports tourism enthusiasts. The study aims to provide references and suggestions for promoting environmentally responsible behaviours in outdoor sports tourism and to support the sustainable development of sports tourism in China and globally. The research targets outdoor sports tourism enthusiasts, analysing data from 1079 survey responses. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is used to test the direct and indirect effects between variables. The results indicate that sustainable values have a positive impact on environmental attitudes, environmental knowledge, and pro-environmental behaviours. Furthermore, environmental attitudes and knowledge play a positive mediating role between sustainable values and pro-environmental behaviours. Lastly, this paper offers substantial suggestions to promote the sustainable development of outdoor sports tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leisure has the potential to contribute to processes of colonization and decolonization. In this paper, we propose using trauma-informed practice as part of a decolonizing process in leisure service provision. While trauma-informed practice continues to have it critiques and limitations from a decolonizing perspective, its recognition of the widespread impact of trauma, the role colonization plays in this trauma, and the value it places on safety, trust, empowerment, collaboration, and practitioner humility and responsiveness may provide leisure professional guidance in decolonizing their practice. This paper presents a project involving Indigenous women, which incorporated aspects of TIP into the facilitation of an arts-based leisure workshop. Using poetic-representation—a method purposefully used to evoke and awaken emotions, the paper highlights experiences of challenge, discovery and release, and collective responsibility. Implications emphasize engaging in a conscious and deliberate process that incorporates arts-based leisure, aims to address colonization (e.g., trauma and oppressive systemic structures), and works towards social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In sociology, rituals are considered a social practice with powerful effects, and a prerequisite for functioning and sustainment of society itself. It was Durkheim who first identified the need for repeated ritual encounters among humans, in the sense of providing recurrent and cohesive emotions of joy, ecstasy, comfort, shame, pride, etc. However, the theory of rituals which took human emotions into account was proposed much later. This paper will argue for the social importance of everyday, mundane, or leisure rituals such as sports matches, music concerts, and routine conversations, gossip, or meetings over a drink or coffee, as ritual interactions strongly mediated by social emotions. These leisure interaction rituals create important personal experiences and meaningful personal histories, while having significant effects for the society as a whole. The paper claims that societies are not being "held together" by some abstract entity, such as social system or culture, but only through the pockets of micro-solidarity occurring when individuals ritually meet in emotionally charged interactions. It is the social interaction in leisure that generates essential social emotions, social ties, and group solidarity, thus representing the actual glue that holds society together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to highlight new insights on the social and political dimensions of emotions experienced within leisure through a specific focus on the everyday lives of people seeking asylum in the UK. In doing so, we draw on and expand inter-disciplinary perspectives that have underlined how the affective intensities and (in)capacities of bodies, and the conditions through which these emerge in everyday lives, are central in the workings of power. Leisure scholars have advanced important analyses on the politics of affects and emotions at the intersection of gendered, sexual and racialised axis of difference. Yet, the relevance of these perspectives has yet to be fully explored in articulating leisure, forced migration and the (necro)politics of asylum. Drawing on two ethnographic studies with people seeking asylum and their allies in Bristol and Leeds, UK, this paper contributes to address this gap by looking at two different leisure domains, music-making and football, as sites of intensity: not just discursive or symbolic, but lived, embodied and felt domains where the gradual wounding produced by the asylum regime is both made manifest and negotiated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual environments as spaces for leisure are rapidly emerging within the zeitgeist of 21st century leisure practices. One such environment is the Zwift cycling and running app which provides a series of virtual worlds where cyclists and runners can train, race, and socialise with a global community from their own home. As four authors, we are all in some way curious or engaged with Zwift as a platform for our own leisure. We therefore developed a 'community of inquiry' to provide an initial foray into Zwift as a virtual leisure space. We each produced a section of the paper which focused respectively on assemblage theory, micro-sociology, gender, and morality. Through critique and the spirit of collegiality, these texts were refined and are presented in the paper as separate yet interlinked narratives. Our community of inquiry then reconvened to consider the mechanics of game design and to present Zwift as exhibiting the components of an interreality. The paper concludes with implications for further research which includes considering Zwift as a third space and as a panopticon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to bring into the light of academic debate the position and experiences of disabled animals within leisure, to encourage academics, the leisure industry, and society in general to consider these animals and their needs from their perspective. It is based on the recognition of animals as sentient beings and that disabled individuals may have distinct needs regarding leisure and access to the leisure environment. To date, disabled animals represent an under-studied population, both in and beyond the leisure experience. This lack of attention parallels the discrimination disabled people have long experienced. The paper highlights how even data on the number of disabled animals and the range of disabilities they face is lacking. It further considers how disabled animals are marginalised, both by society and academics in relation to the leisure experience and why this is the case. The potential of overturning this marginalisation for the benefit of both animals and humans is considered before the paper turns to address future research related to disabled animals and leisure. In doing so, the paper notes the need to engage with the animal 'other' in a critical animal-centric approach to understand their needs, wants, and experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most research on equestrian sports, including horseracing, has been developed in contexts in the Global North. This has led to a narrow perspective of what horseracing is and means in different historical and sociocultural contexts. This paper extends this reach through considering informal horseracing events in Mexico. Based on understanding gender as a 'doing' rather than a 'being', and as an integral part of all social practices and identities, the races are examined as leisure events that function as sites through which masculinities are performed and (re)produced. Drawing on an ethnographic study, the horseracing events are identified as spaces in which male-male interactions provide opportunity for men to perform culturally hegemonic norms of masculinity, against a backdrop of shifting economic and social practices that are affecting wider gender relations in Mexico. Although women also have a presence in horseracing, they play a marginal role within the events which celebrate and foreground male homosociality. Masculinities are performed and validated predominantly through male-male interactions and expressions of male dominance over the horses. This paper thus illustrates the importance of gender to understanding different leisure practices and the significance of social and cultural context to examining leisure generally and equestrian sports specifically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working children and adolescents face diverse problems, including long working hours, low pay, lack of quality education/training, unrealistic expectations, workplace hierarchies, and bullying, all of which cause them to be bereaved of leisure opportunities. However, there is a lack of study on this topic. The dominant perception of child labour being mainly an issue of the Global South, a geographically and socially under-represented context, is a significant reason behind the lack of thorough exploration of the leisure capabilities of working children and adolescents. Drawing on qualitative research conducted in Turkey, this paper explores the everyday realities of working children and adolescents in terms of their leisure preferences and capabilities. The study is based on in-depth interviews and focus groups with working children and adolescents aged between 11 and 17. Using the Capabilities Approach as an analytical lens, the paper discusses the ways in which work shrinks the already limited leisure capabilities of the participants. In the face of fatigue and time scarcity, children adapt their leisure preferences to the available leisure cultures. Simultaneously, however, they display agency in various ways so as to gain time and protect their leisure rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visiting Natural Green Spaces (NGS) is an important lifestyle factor that contributes to quality of life. Whilst NGS can be used to combat health issues, many of which are experienced by South Asian Muslim communities in the UK, it is concerning that such communities face the largest disparities in access to NGS compared to other ethnic minority groups. This paper responds to the paucity in research of South Asian people’s experiences of NGS. Data were generated through individual semi-structured interviews with 20 South Asian Muslim men and women. Using Bourdieu’s concepts of field, habitus and capital, data underwent thematic analysis. This paper reports on the key findings of the study: defining the field of NGS; enhancing wellbeing in NGS; and challenges of accessing NGS. The study concludes that we understand NGS as fields in which capital is shaped by race, religion and gender, and provides suggestions for how policy and practice can consider NGS in health enhancing interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mega-events like the Olympics and the Football World Cup routinely harm host cities and societies, largely due to their linkages with ambitious urban development agendas. Concurrently, resident protest has had only limited success in mitigating mega-event-related damages, notwithstanding the growth of resistance networks at local, national, and transnational scales. Contextualised within the broader processes of the Agenda 2020 and New Norm Olympic reforms, this paper explores the tactics of protest against the Summer Olympics in Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028. In so doing, the paper demonstrates how the reforms have moderated some of the more egregious aspects of mega-event harm, while nevertheless preserving some fundamental problems with hosting, albeit in more diffuse or disguised forms. The paper makes sense of these processes through the notion of Potemkinism, conceptualised as a dynamic between the superficial and the substantive, and predicated on obfuscation or concealment. The paper also presents a taxonomy of tactics adopted by host city residents to counter the problems that persist in these processes of Potemkin reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to show how using blue spaces has enabled the author to rebuild parts of herself again following the death of her father. Few studies have provided personal narratives of the influence and transformative nature of blue spaces, especially in association with grief. Through the use of autoethnographic writing, the author expands knowledge on how the immersion in bodies of water can be a therapeutic accretive practice which leads to palliative healing. The paper also contributes to the growing blue space literature, and how everyday encounters and liquid connections with this water world provides individuals with connection, belonging, and healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, research on accessible and inclusive tourism has grown considerably. However, the target of families with children with disabilities and their experiences in the cultural and museum fields have been neglected. The paper addresses this research gap by exploring the level of accessibility of Italian museums in terms of facilities, services, and personnel. Museums are integral components of the cultural tourism sector, and our paper investigates whether families with children with disabilities are taken into consideration and if their needs addressed. By employing a cluster analysis, three museum clusters were identified, each presenting significant differences in attitudes towards accessibility and inclusion, ranging from the most accessible to those museums with bigger areas of improvement. The subsequent discussion dissects these findings and formulates strategic recommendations and implications that could represent an opportunity to foster inclusion within cultural institutions and propel the academic discourse on the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the introduction and indigenisation of western ice sports in modern China, unpacking their socio-cultural implications and intersection with nationalism. Utilising historical records, this paper employs a perspective centred on Chinese society, emphasising the nuanced adaptation and incorporation of these sports within the distinct socio-cultural landscape of China. This perspective reveals the significant role ice sports played in shaping modern self-identity among Chinese youth, driving societal change, and highlighting the confluence of athletics and nationalism during the Republican period. Furthermore, the paper underscores how ice sports in modern China mirrored larger societal dynamics of assimilation, adaptation, and redefinition, culminating in an enriched local culture that symbolises China’s resilience and adaptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to contribute to the growing body of literature focused on the recreational activity of surfing. Investigations into how young people learn to surf are rare, particularly those that focus on the pedagogical aspects involved in learning the practical 'know-how' required to surf in particular places and under specific environmental conditions (tide, wind, swell, currents, terrain). How do young people learn where and when a break will be worth a surf? When to duck dive under a broken wave or when to paddle further out? Recent research suggests that a process of enskilment, a form of knowledgeable practice, may provide pedagogical insights into how young people are developing the practical know-how to be able to surf skilfully and safely in particular places. This research used narrative methodology as an alternative way to investigate and represent these complex (and often tacit) aspects of a human learning experience, and findings are presented in the form of a set of short stories. This paper draws from that research to provide important insights into the phenomenon of how young people learn to surf with the intention of improving formal coastal experiences such as those in the leisure and education fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While significant attention has been paid to the experiences of queer athletes and sport participants, comparatively little work has explored queer sport fans' leisure experiences in sport stadiums. Focusing on professional men's hockey fandom, this empirical study asks: what are the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+) spectators at National Hockey League games in Canada? Interviews with 24 diversely identified queer spectators reveal significant variation in experiences, from positive to neutral to negative, and a welcome lack of virulent or aggressive homophobia and transphobia. Most queer spectators perceive the arena space as heteronormative, which often results in feelings of non-belonging. Using de Certeau's theorisation of tactics, this paper explores how queer spectators modify their behaviour – including minimising and maximising queer visibility – to smoothly navigate the heteronormative arena space. This paper contributes to understandings of homophobia and queer belonging in leisure spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sweat, meaning to sweat, is a moniker attached to prearranged but unorganised and informal sport and physical activity within local communities in Trinidad and Tobago. Explained as a culturally significant phenomenon, the sweat is a space of community cohesion and radical questioning through its resident attendant ole talk where the critical deconstruction of social reality readily occurs. Using Paolo Freire’s pedagogical ideas of problem-posing dialogue, this ethnographic paper, explores three main areas. Those being, the sweats and ole talk; the radicality of the sweats displayed in individual agency against the structured restrictions of formal sports participation; and the sweats as a site for cross-cultural integration and interaction in an otherwise ethnically diverse country. Through the experiences of eight individuals associated to the sweats, Freirean ideas of love, radicality and hopefulness are prominent in the description of the sweats. To this end, this paper adds to the growing body of literature on informal sport participation as a site to negotiate and reconcile differences in local communities, as well as a site for social and sport-for-development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the way novice marathon runners experience and respond to a change -- becoming marathoners. It utilises Victor Turner's concepts of liminality and communitas to illustrate the complexity and challenges experienced by novice runners. The scope of sociological research regarding distance runners over the last two decades has expanded, nevertheless, very little has been written in reference to the process of the liminal phase per se. Therefore, the contribution of this paper is to address this lacuna of research and focus on the link between the process of 'becoming' and concepts such as solidarity, hierarchies, and standing norms, which play significant roles and constitute key components in the process of liminality. An ethnographic research design of three years was implemented in two running groups, using participant observation and semi-structured interviews. The data presented suggest that embarking on a marathoner identity requires a phase of betwixt and between wherein the 'traditional' borders of liminality and communitas are not fixed and often negotiable. Moreover, the relatively advanced age, similar socioeconomic status and military background among the running members serve as loopholes in liminality for novice runners towards 'interested solidarity' with veteran runners in achieving their new status as marathoners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-tracking is increasingly popular in recreational sport. Leisure sports practitioners use wearable devices that are connected to online platforms to record, analyse, and share their exercise data. While doing that they interact with a digital system, with themselves, and with peers. This paper examines social-communicative aspects of self-tracking, and the support that these aspects and their associated practices may provide for physical activity behaviour. Data for the study was collected using an online survey and in-depth interviews with Finnish trail runners. The results indicate that sharing exercise data with others on a regular basis can support physical activity behaviour because it is mediated by social peer support. The analysis identified information sharing, comparison, and recognition as the main social-communicative aspects that motivate sharing physical activity data online, and ordinariness and privacy as reasons that limit data sharing. This paper contributes to the discussion on digital leisure by showing that for many users, communal and self-motivational values of self-tracking practices surpass the concern of surveillance and commodification of leisure time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family leisure activities have been gaining increasing attention in recent years. This study aims to identify the characteristics of family leisure involvement among adult workers in urban China, explore the relationship between family leisure and leisure satisfaction, and further analyse the possible interrelationship between core and balance family leisure activities. Paper-and-pencil questionnaire surveys of activity diaries were collected from 519 residents of Zhongshan, a prefecture-level city in China. Linear regression analysis suggested that balance family leisure activities were not associated with individual leisure satisfaction, while core family leisure had a negative impact. Core family leisure also moderated the relationship between balance family leisure and personal leisure satisfaction. A moderate amount of core family leisure combined with balance family leisure increased leisure satisfaction. This study contributes to the core and balance theory of family leisure functioning by exploring the interrelationship between the two types of family leisure activities in a non-Western context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the resurgence of deviant leisure cultures in football, with a focus on virtual football violence. Despite advancements in curbing violence in UK football stadiums, new challenges emerge online. By analysing social media discourse from three English Premier League matches in 2022, the study reveals the prevalence of several forms of virtual violence, including threats of physical and sexual violence, emotional violence, and discriminatory violence. The research highlights the resurgence of ‘traditional’ norms of masculinity, aggression, and misogyny facilitated by anonymity in online spaces. Paradoxically, the results show that fans engage in derogatory language while simultaneously condemning similar actions by others. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the category of discriminatory violence, where comments are frequently challenged, indicating a ‘raising of consciousness’ and a growing intolerance to certain forms of discriminatory language. However, despite some evidence of social consciousness and pushback against discriminatory language, the prevalence of virtual violence remains concerning on multiple levels. This underscores the need for continued efforts to promote respectful discourse and foster inclusive environments online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a context of complex and contradictory discourses of ‘good’ motherhood, women are often expected to quickly resume or take up a physically active lifestyle postpartum for both their own health and that of their children. Guided by post-structuralist feminism and drawing upon interviews with 12 mothers with young children living in Aotearoa New Zealand, we reveal the various ways mothers navigate social pressures and expectations surrounding ‘good’ motherhood. A reflexive thematic analysis revealed the various pressures on mothers in relation to their physical activity practices. A key element was achieving ‘good mother’ status by taking control of their bodies through exercise and role-modelling proactive physical activity practices for their children and families. While some mothers worked to achieve this unrealistic ideal, others problematised and resisted such pressures. Concerns about body image, pressures from ‘other mothers’, limited time and energy, and feelings of guilt were all key contributing factors influencing mothers’ physical activity practices. Mothers also considered themselves integral in their children’s lives, expressing a desire to increase physical activity time and role modelling for an active family. Focusing on New Zealand mothers’ lived experiences of negotiating the various pressures and expectations of motherhood, including the pursuit of a physically active lifestyle, this paper makes an original contribution to a growing body of literature on the complex relationship between motherhood, sport, and physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking inspiration from ethnographic methods, this study presents the experiences of young children and their families, as they interact with a display at the Workers Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark, analysing these through Ben Anderson's concept affective atmospheres. Adding to scholarship on emotion in leisure studies, the paper presents young visitor experiences as ongoing relational interactions between bodies, objects, and places, where atmospheres are central to the sensory leisure experience and deeply enmeshed with affectivity. With this perspective, we contribute to broadening the scholarship that challenges the division between positive and negative emotions, which continues to be foregrounded in leisure scholarship, arguing that such binary framework does not account for the granularity and complexity of emotional worlds. The research invites scholars and practitioners to attend to affective atmospheres in visitor experiences, while letting go of the notion that these can be controlled through careful curation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A group of researchers came together during the COVID-19 pandemic to conduct an observational study on trail use behaviour. The purpose of this paper is not to report on the trail data collected, but to reflect on the research process during an unprecedented time. Specifically, the objectives of the paper are to identify challenges and tensions of collecting data during a pandemic, and reflect on the unanticipated rewards that arose while conducting such research. The paper relies on vignettes/reflections from seven researchers who shared stories that exemplified their data collection experiences during the first three months of the project. The researchers' reflections provide an insider view into the challenges they faced. Using thematic analysis, themes about logistical difficulties, safety concerns, sense of time, and making connections were identified. The challenges and the importance of the researchers' relationships with one another were evident in the reflections. In sharing their reflections, the hope is that their experiences may inform future fieldwork during difficult periods. This study examined some of the challenges of collecting data during a pandemic and the tensions that occurred, but there are lessons here for other stressful and unique research situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to reveal what is the current position of gardening as a leisure activity for urbanites, in general and in competition with other hobbies, and how the space of the urban domestic garden is perceived in this regard. To gather data, a questionnaire survey of 302 urban domestic garden keepers was conducted. The survey took place between April 2019 and November 2019 in the capital city of Prague, Czechia, and in 8 locations in other Czech cities and towns as a control sample. The results show that the importance of outdoor relaxation in evaluating one's garden prevails, but the possibility of creating something with one's own hands, to produce own food, or to form a more beautiful place are also highly appreciated. In the perception of Czech gardeners, work and leisure often intertwine. Similarly, gardens act as a multifunctional environment, which can be changed in particular phases of the human life cycle. Since gardens were often declared as vital components for many people, it is probable that there is a future for gardening as a leisure activity, although it may be construed rather as a 'light' version of gardening, adapted to one's busy schedule and other hobbies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological changes have dramatically transformed the ways in which contemporary sport mega-events are produced and consumed worldwide. As the production and consumption of these global spectacles have moved beyond the traditional television and radio broadcast, this article examines and reflects on the hyper-digitalisation of sport mega-events. More specifically, we explore how one emerging platform presents a window for examining questions of power and inequality; social integration and identity; social change and development, and finally, the experience of time and space related to sport mega-events in the present-day. By employing video-sharing platform YouTube as a paradigmatic case study of the Olympic Games' digital shift, the paper contributes towards an enhanced understanding of mega-events, technologies and digital platforms. We argue that systematic efforts to understand the digital manifestations of mega-events in a 'platform society' remain extremely crucial when situated against the emerging but overlapping fields of digital sociology, digital leisure studies and digital football studies in which mega-events feature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the other hand, we also sought to identify not only some of the leisure inequalities in the Global South, but also inequalities in leisure research between researchers based in the Global South and those in the Global North. The concept of inequalities has been widely explored in academia and in the leisure literature. It contextualises the debate and focuses on two key points: (1) research on leisure inequalities; and (2) the Global South and inequalities in leisure research. The digital inequality during COVID-19 and the ensuing lockdowns led to differences in leisure opportunities, and such disparities were felt more deeply in the Global South where the gap between social classes is wider compared with the Global North (Clemente & Stoppa, [9]). [Extracted from the article]

In the 1990s questions began to be raised about whether leisure studies were a dying field of study. Departments and programmes were closing, and attendance at leisure studies conferences appeared to be declining. Yet in the twenty-first century we have seen the emergence of a new leisure studies journal and multiple book series' being commissioned that are dedicated to leisure. The question therefore arises of whether leisure studies is dead, dying, or alive and well. Through an analysis of the departmental affiliations of all the authors who have published in all the leisure studies double-blind peer-reviewed journals this paper examines the health of leisure studies. It suggests that in terms of the number of authors publishing in leisure studies journals, the field is healthy. Furthermore, the departmental homes of the authors indicate leisure studies is a healthy multidisciplinary meeting ground that has never been dominated by those based in departments explicitly linked to leisure through their title. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates creative tourism and creative spaces in China through travel blog analysis. In particular, we explore creative tourism-related experiences within China's 14 UNESCO-designated creative cities. To do so, 456 identified creative spaces were individually searched in four popular Chinese travel experience sharing platforms. In total, 552 travel blogs were collected for analysis using Nvivo qualitative software. Our findings not only reveal the practical connections between eight types of creative resources and creative tourist experiences and activities but also the nuances between three key elements of such tourism experiences: participation, knowledge acquisition, and the experiencing of local life. Our paper concludes with practical recommendations for tourism providers and policymakers wishing to leverage their destination's creative resources for creative tourism development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The popular media and some aspects of social science research view computer gaming either in disruptive pathological terms or through one-dimensional notions, such as violence inducing or as simple escapism. These singular perspectives create gaps in the research and skew our understanding of computer games as a social phenomenon. To address this, we examine computer gaming as a leisure experience in the context of contemporary western consumer culture. The paper presents a conceptual investigation which critically analyses selected themes on gaming, designed to offer an interpretation of the adolescent gaming experience and its links with self–identity. Outcomes indicate that gaming has the potential to create resistance to commodifying processes and adult modes of the self but can be convalesced by the market to attract the purchase of and engagement with games. Adolescent self-identities, analysed through the lens of leisure experience in consumer culture and within the ambivalent experiential consciousness and leisure spaces of everyday life, may provide alternative perspectives on gaming. In this view, gaming can create experiences that lead to the formation of self-identity through social interactions and relations that have the potential to build social and cultural capacities for adolescents while also enabling resistance to social norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 2020/1 coronavirus pandemic, leisure scholars in lockdown have found their research activities restricted to desk-based strategies. In this situation, one possible strategy is the existing data found via archival research, a method that has received limited attention from leisure scholars to date. This paper explains archival research obstacles during a coronavirus induced lockdown whilst also showcasing the possibilities archive collections can offer. During the discussion, the potential that archival research has as an alternative data source for leisure studies becomes evident. This research note aims to showcase this potential and call on leisure scholars to engage with archives as a data source for future studies. It concludes by reflecting on why this engagement is important for leisure scholarship and potentially leisure scholars whose research and careers have been stymied during the ongoing pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Third Places (TPs), defined by Oldenburg in suburban American context are social informal gathering spaces, except home and workplace. Major literature focused on how TPs create social capital and cohesion within communities, largely benefitting socially, psychologically and even economically. Over the years, the TP concept is contested to globally transform from its initial theme of communitarianism to present dominant forms of neo-liberal consumerism. This posed significant threat to the inherent idea of affordable sociability rooted in characteristic plainness and neutral ground of TP. Moreover, exploring the spatial patterns and the influence of geographical variations on the nature of TP across urban landscapes is largely understudied. This study thus aimed to develop a consolidated understanding of the spatial dynamics of TPs in Indian context. The paper presented a city level, empirical based quantitative study based on online questionnaire survey. Commercial TPs are found to be most preferred. Research findings showed that the types of TP significantly affect the individual’s preferred travel distance. Also, one’s behavioural attributes as a whole significantly affect the catchment of the TPs, influenced by spatial variations. Hotspot analysis demonstrated three significant spatial concentrations across the city based on distance-based clustering. It showed heterogenous agglomerating tendencies of TP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an understanding of the way that hospitality is portrayed in films produced with the support of a programme developed by the government in the state of Minas Gerais, in Brazil. The methodology of this qualitative research included a content analysis of eight films (including one documentary) shown on the non-mainstream festival and film show circuit in Brazil. The results showed the complexity that permeates the interpersonal relationships in hospitality. The filmic productions analysed portray several nuances of the hospitality phenomenon present in the Brazilian social imaginary. Different leisure practices and contexts are represented in the films, thus showing a wealth of details about hospitality that bring potential contributions to the academic debate on the subject. In this process, human life assumes a variety of meanings and causes a tangle of social practices and hospitality to emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore the use of Lego® Serious Play® (LSP) to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people (CYP) in an educational setting. It investigates how best to manage anxiety and facilitate a better understanding of the transition process whereby pupils move either between year groups, or to new schools. The study adopts a creative multi-sensory methodology whereby the focus is upon the Lego® and not the child. Data were collected in a UK junior school from four workshops, comprising sixty-four children, ranging between seven and eleven years old. Using the Lego® Serious Play® (LSP) method, preliminary results highlight four key overarching themes associated with child anxiety surrounding the school transition process. These are (i) places, (ii) pathways, (iii) programming and (iv) people. Wider implications for other age groups and other transition scenarios are explored. A series of remedies and solutions are proposed, and recommendations for further development of the method within an educational context are highlighted. In the leisure context, this study contributes to knowledge through a playful lens by using Lego® Serious Play® (LSP) as a creative methodology to highlight the unique interaction between leisure, education and mental health and wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To attract consumers in an increasingly competitive marketplace, many breweries are now offering leisure time physical activity (LTPA) equipment, clubs, and events on-site. Given the growing number of craft beer entities in the U.S. opportunities may thus exist to capitalise on the popular phenomena as a means of encouraging participation in regular exercise amongst the general public. To promote engagement however, a clear understanding of motivations for participation is needed. Therefore, this paper explores why people participating in LTPA at breweries chose to engage in the experience; what they enjoyed (or did not enjoy) about the activity; and their intentions to return or not return for a future experience at the same location. Findings from interviews conducted during LTPA events at breweries in three U.S. cities revealed that people were prompted to participate by social aspects, atmosphere, timing, free beer and/or the low/no costs involved, and an overall interest in beer/breweries. Together data suggests craft breweries serve an important role in their communities; ones that extends far beyond economic impacts. Suggestions for the practical application of these findings are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gould et al.'s (2008) Serious Leisure Inventory and Measure (SLIM) and its short version were widely used to quantify dimensions of serious leisure for more than a decade. The purpose of this paper is to inform future research directions by reviewing studies employed SLIM to identify diverse SLIM practices and summarise present research findings. A total of 34 journal articles published in English between 2008 and 2019 were reviewed. Results revealed a large variety of applications of SLIM. Of the 34 studies examined, ten studies used SLIM scores to classify participants into groups using researcher-determined criteria or cluster-related analytical approaches; 24 studies explored individual characteristics, activity experiences, or life outcomes associated with variables derived from SLIM. The results provided insights of selecting between original and short SLIM. Additionally, while studies employed SLIM have supported how serious leisure contributes to leisure experience and life outcomes, some other areas would benefit from future research, including more efforts on understanding individual characteristics associated with the process of becoming serious, negative aspects of serious leisure and its impact on participants' activity engagement, and overall life experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research note discusses why and how the conventional description of leisure makes positioning Halal leisure difficult for researchers and practitioners and then identifies four leisure zones based on the overall consensus of Islamic teachings, cultural tolerance of Islamic societies, and localized/regionalised interpretations of Islamic scriptures. In doing so, this paper contributes to enhancing the nascent understanding of the position of leisure in Islam, considering religious and socio-political factors. For practitioners, this research note alludes to the emergence of Halal-hybrid leisure spaces where Muslims' religious and cultural identities continuously evolve to accommodate traditionally Westernised leisure habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the discourses surrounding human rights and sport mega-events (SMEs) have grown immensely. These are often directed towards sport's governing bodies responsible for the administration of these mega-events. Tapping into the growing scholarship, this article aims to advance the fields of sport, leisure and human rights. By reconsidering the commercial nature of sports' governing bodies (focusing on IOC and FIFA), we argue that what is commonly referred to as the 'Ruggie Principles' both can and should be applied to FIFA and IOC's practices and event-related operations. In this context, and by reflecting on the practical applications of human rights impact assessments in the context of sport governing bodies who are the awarding bodies of hosting rights, the paper argues that due diligence and human rights impact assessments should become an organisational mainstay of FIFA and IOC's event-related operations. Whilst our normative argument can have implications for policy and practice, we also provide further directions for research in what remains a pivotal era of SMEs globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current campaigns for a four-day, 32-hour standard working week to replace the five-day, 40-hour model have attracted the attention of employers, trade unions, political parties, governments and the communications media but, seemingly, not of leisure scholars. This is in contrast to the leisure society concept of the 1960s/1970s, some versions of which anticipated a 30-hour working week. This paper examines the 4-day work-week proposition from a leisure point of view. It summarises: some of the antecedent twentieth century calls for shorter working weeks; the twenty-first-century advocacy literature for the 4-day week; and the growing list of live trials of the concept. An analysis is offered of the goals of the 4-day week proposition and its proponents' response to anticipated opposition. It is concluded that, in the interests of social relevance, there is a role for leisure scholars to play in critically evaluating the 4-day work-week proposition, in general and in regard to its implications for leisure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While a growing body of evidence exists around women fans of men's sport, less is known about women fans' perspectives and identities in relation to women's sport, and what is known tends to focus on homogenous representations of sports fans, rather than a diversity of fan types and follower styles. Building on the authors' previous appraisals of the Solheim Cup – the biggest event in women's golf – this paper examines fan performances of women at the 2019 event in Scotland. Twenty-five white women from the UK/Europe were recruited via social media before, during and after the Solheim Cup, with online interviews taking place in the following days. Using performative sports fandom as a framework, the authors seek to examine women fan performances at a major women's sporting event. The analysis of the interviews resulted in three themes around (1) friendship, care and connection, (2) negotiated fan performances and (3) distinctive fan performances. While it must be acknowledged that this is a homogenous group of fans, it is hoped that this research will add to the understanding of the diversity and complexity of fan identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided by a social inequality perspective that combines Bourdieu's conception of socially shaped tastes and lifestyles with Peterson's notion of omnivorous consumption, this paper addresses the link between social inequality and participation in specific subfields of sport. Ten popular sports and adjacent activity subfields are analysed and compared. Based on representative data from Germany, the paper points out that participation in different fields of sport is socially structured, however to different degrees and in different ways. Almost all fields of sport appeal to individuals with above-average levels of cultural capital, whereas lower social classes dominate the group of inactive individuals. Football is least structured by cultural and economic capital, while racket sports, nature-related activities, yoga, fitness and water sports are socially most selective. Beyond social class, gender is also key for structuring participation. Finally, findings show that cultural capital is closely associated with multiple engagements in a broader range of different sports, thus buttressing the notion that omnivorous participation signifies a higher social status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect leisure mobilities globally. In Australia, the pandemic has radically influenced the mobilities of domestic tourists, with travellers subjected to dynamic and intermittent restrictions on both intrastate and interstate movement since March, 2020. This paper reports on the findings of a study conducted between June and July 2020 that explored Australians' intentions to participate in tourism as COVID-19 leisure travel restrictions eased. It reveals that the participants sought to shift from modes of transport that involve high risks of exposure to other tourists, including cruise ships and air travel, to private, smaller-scale forms of leisure mobility such as cars and campervans. The paper draws from this trend to offer recommendations that champion both the experiential qualities of tourist automobilities and the positioning of private vehicles as temporary facilitators of safer mobilities that may also support wellbeing. These recommendations are afforded additional significance by the opportunities they imply for the stimulation of regional tourism economies severely affected by the unstable and volatile mobilities of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Serious Leisure Perspective (SLP) divides leisure activity into three forms: serious, casual and project-based, each with a number of distinguishing qualities, rewards, costs and benefits. It is presented by its creator, Robert Stebbins, as both a classification system and a theoretical framework. In its early history, it was seen as a micro-level, or at most meso-level, construct concerned with the behaviour of individuals and small groups. More recently claims have been made that its theoretical reach extends to the macro-level, encompassing broad societal issues. This paper evaluates these claims in three parts: first, examining existing macro-level critiques of the SLP in the research literature; second, assessing claims of macro-level relatedness in SLP publications; and third, considering the extent to which generic macro-level social and leisure theory has been, or could be, related to the SLP. Under-explored or neglected opportunities for macro-level theoretical analysis are identified but, when examined, they invariably expose the theoretical weakness of the SLP, particularly regarding any distinctive role for serious as opposed to casual leisure. This leads to the conclusion that the claim that the SLP offers a viable macro-level theoretical framework for the study of leisure is questionable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings from time-use surveys in the UK, which were conducted prior to, during and following the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. These findings are set against the background of evidence from similar surveys in the UK and globally from 1920s onwards. Movements into and out of successive lockdowns between 2020 and 2021 disrupted former temporary routines with consequences that endured in 2022. There has been no return to the old normal, or even towards that normal. The new normal was a population with more leisure time than pre-pandemics but which was also spending more time doing paid work. There were differences in sex, age and income, but overall time had been released for other uses by people doing less travelling, less studying and less unpaid child care. Extra leisure time was being filled mainly by the media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If researchers are to understand the impacts of lockdown on children and young people, then the experiences of lockdown need to be explored from the perspective of the child. Young people participate in leisure for a multitude of reasons, yet, within the UK, children were largely unable to access their regular leisure activities for a six-month period during the first national lockdown. Within the context of this paper, leisure includes outdoor sports and physical activities within blue spaces. Following interviews with parents and young people (aged 11–16) focused on experiences of leisure during the Covid-19 pandemic, this qualitative study identified that children felt an intense sense of missing out on opportunities and found day-to-day life without leisure monotonous. However, there were some positive impacts of reduced leisure, such as a greater appreciation for what was once a regular activity. This research empowered the voice of children, so their distinct experiences were made visible to those who aim to support their wellbeing. Findings suggest that the promotion of leisure activities in the current climate could mitigate poor wellbeing among children associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Covid-19 pandemic, urban green spaces provided a route to connect with everyday 'nearby natures'. The paper explores the reconfiguration of leisure practices during restrictions, utilising theory on affordances and social practices to explore what people valued in urban green spaces and what can be learnt from a period when relationships with these spaces were in sharp focus. The study participants utilised Mobile Instant Messaging Diaries to present their lived experiences first-hand. Participants developed routines that involved engaging with urban green spaces as part of their daily structure, and this brought practices based around meaningful actions in these spaces to the fore. Urban green spaces became meaningful when they served a purpose, when they built knowledge and skill, and when they supported social needs. During lockdown, a patchwork of urban green spaces became useful. The findings call for more attention to be paid to small pockets of urban green space to afford nature connectivity and to the value of a social practice lens as a tool for providers to explore affordances and exclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How did cultural consumption change during the Covid-19 pandemic? Whilst the impact of the pandemic on cultural production has been given significant attention, work on consumption has seen less attention. This paper addresses this gap in the literature by presenting a comparative analysis of two, nationally representative, surveys of cultural activity in England. The analysis demonstrates that, when cultural consumption moved online and to digital modes of delivery and engagement as a result of the pandemic, there was no discernible transformation in the stratification of cultural participation in England. The majority of the population, characterised by the absence of participation in formal, and often state-funded, cultural forms, saw no change to their patterns of engagement. Where cultural consumption did increase, this was among the small minority of people who were already highly engaged. This minority maps closely onto pre-existing inequalities identified by existing research on cultural consumption, in England and beyond. For cultural consumption and the stratification of taste, it seems that the 'new normal' of pandemic life was much like the 'old normal' of an art and cultural audience characterised by significant inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper studies fitness as a leisure activity in the context of Thailand. It considers fitness as the interplay between both consumption and production and globalisation and localisation. I conduct an autoethnography to study the effects of using a global fitness application on training my body and recreating self for fitness. My study thus focuses only on fitness as a form of home workout. I use Jean Baudrillard's concept of the 'consumer society' to critically investigate how the global fitness culture and the quest for the ideal body affect the recreation of body and self, and how body and self in the local context appropriate the global fitness culture and the ideal body. I look only at relevant elements of Baudrillard's theory, including socially created needs, the significations of the body and marginal difference, which I regard as social processes of recreating the body and the self. By drawing upon Baudrillard, I contend that home workouts reproduce the self with marginal difference and that significations of the body respond only to the models of the global fitness culture and the ideal body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skateboarding is an informal activity with a relatively low cost of entry, and a range of potential practice grounds. Without formal gatekeepers, it is potentially inclusive on social, economic, and cultural levels. Participation has increased overall in recent years, including by girls and young women, who are increasingly visible in skateboarding organisations, international competition, and media. However, skateboarding spaces remain dominated by white, middle-class, male participants. Why, then, is the increased diversity of participation not diversifying the wider culture of the sport? Furthermore, skateboarding research has not been methodologically innovative, limiting its potential to see what is happening. This paper charts the development of a mapping tool as part of a wider study of young woman skateboarders, designed to better understand how different skateboarders (and others) use, move, and interact within skateboarding spaces. Drawing on behavioural mapping frameworks, we show how our mapping tool developed into a comprehensive, transferable system through which complex, fast moving, leisure settings can be studied. We conclude that being in a space does not always confer full access to participate in it. Examples from our research and consultancy demonstrate how the system can be used to illuminate power relations and interactions within active leisure settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]