Street Corner Society: Leisure Careers,Youth (Sub)culture and Social Exclusion

Abstract

This paper draws upon qualitative research with ‘socially excluded’ young people in the North East of England. It proposes that the concept and study of ‘leisure careers’ is useful in understanding the transitions, (sub)cultural experiences and identities of social groups like this. The empirical focus is upon the significance of leisure careers in the neighbourhood‐based, social networks of some criminally involved, socially excluded young adults. Theoretically, we argue that a focus on leisure careers, as part of a broad, holistic approach to youth transitions, can help overcome some of the problems that currently affect youth studies. In particular, fuller examination of shifting, leisure‐based activities and identities within studies of youth transition may help bridge the analytical divide between that tradition of youth research and that which focuses primarily on youth culture and identity.     

Social differences in leisure behavior: Measurement and interpretation

This article examines how three major dimensions of leisure behavior, i.e., rates of leisure participation, money expenditure for leisure goods and services and discretionary time available for leisure pursuits, are distributed across various socio‐demographic and socio‐occupational groups. The money expenditures for leisure, it is argued, follow traditional class lines most closely; the rates of leisure participation are characterized by a more egalitarian distribution; and the amounts of leisure time are often inversely related to social centrality and social status. The article interprets these varying patterns of leisure inequalities as a function of the cumulative nature of leisure participation as opposed to the “finite” nature of leisure time, and as a reflection of the complex relationship between leisure, work, income, leisure class, and leisure status.     

Localism and the Big Society: the asset transfer of leisure centres and libraries – fighting closures or empowering communities?

This paper critically examines the ‘asset transfer’ of leisure services from the public to the voluntary sector. Asset transfer might be theorised as ‘austerity localism’, in which volunteers are obliged to fill the gaps left by retreating public provision, or as ‘progressive localism’, which represents new opportunities through the localism and Big Society agendas to develop more locally responsive, cooperative and mutualist visions. In this way, asset transfer might overcome the limitations of the United Kingdom policies in which ‘Big Government’ is replaced by civic society. Drawing on qualitative interviews with key personnel (volunteers, managers and local authority officers) at 12 leisure facilities, a grounded assessment of the nuanced balance between ‘austerity localism’ and ‘progressive localism’ is provided, including three observations. First, the main impetus for transfer was cuts in local authority budgets which stimulated the emergence of local groups of volunteers. Secondly, the transfers themselves required interaction between local government and the volunteer groups; however, the nature of the relationship and support given varied and support was limited by austerity measures. Thirdly, volunteers do not automatically fill a gap left by the state: without support transfer viability relies on the financial and social capital among volunteer groups, and this is unevenly distributed. These findings suggest that the capacity for a ‘progressive localism’ to emerge through asset transfer is limited. However, where transfer has occurred, there are some progressive benefits of volunteer empowerment and a more flexible service.     

The new economy as a gateway to leisure travelling: experiences of highly skilled Indian professionals in Europe

This article investigates India’s professionals’ tourist mobilities during on-site assignments in continental Europe. The concept of experiential cultural capital is introduced to highlight the sociocultural symbolic significance of experiences of travelling for leisure enabled by one’s professional career. The study (conducted between 2007 and 2013) is based on ethnographic research online and in-depth face-to-face interviews with 76 Indian expatriates working in the information, communication and technology (ICT) sector in Brussels. This complementary approach of online and offline research enabled the observation of practices of status distinction, which deepened the understanding of Indian professionals’ tourist mobility. The data of the lived experiences of leisure travelling enabled by professional career trajectories illustrate practices of capital accumulation. In addition, they show how India’s youth, inscribed in new economy sectors, such as the ICT sector, seize the volatile opportunities offered by changing global economic and political conditions. Moreover, this research indicates how occupational identity is intertwined with particular practices of leisure travelling as the organisational culture might influence leisure opportunities. Therefore, by participating in and managing this symbolic resource of tourist mobility, professionals signal their economic success to their family and peers in order to be recognised as such.     

Health club use and ‘lifestyle’: exploring the boundaries between work and leisure

In this article I investigate the relationship between work and leisure for professional employees. Drawing on qualitative research I explore the motivation behind premier club use – a sector within the wider health club industry – to show that rather than being an activity firmly located within the domain of ‘leisure’, it is a complex activity, influenced by a person's occupation and experience within the workplace. Through the empirical discussion I show that professionals working within the city are often committed to a ‘project of the self’, fuelled by a desire to create a professional identity whereby the development and maintenance of a fit and healthy body symbolises characteristics that are valued within the professional workplace. Accordingly I propose the concept of a ‘workstyle’ as opposed to ‘lifestyle’, to suggest that the motivation behind premier club use is defined according to the social and cultural experience of working in the city and in turn, certain individuals may be consuming premier club membership for the benefit of their overall career. To this end, premier club use is portrayed as an activity defined according to the principles of work rather than as a definitive ‘leisure’ pursuit, thus blurring and mediating the boundaries between work and leisure.     

Leisure Studies: Progress,Phases and Possibilities – An Interview with Alan Tomlinson

Analysis of commitment in long distance running has developed rapidly over the past decade. No attention has been devoted, however, to different commitment patterns of runners. This paper identifies the commitments of ‘professional level’, ‘semi-professional level’ and ‘amateur level’ long distance runners. Discriminant analysis reveals that those of amateur level have relatively weaker personal and structural commitment in comparison with the professional level runners. Semi-professional level runners are in a marginal position: while they have the same personal commitment as the more serious runners, they do not have the parallel structural commitment. The implications of this position are analysed. The preliminary formulation of a theoretical model of sport and leisure commitment is presented, in terms of ‘a circle of commitment’. This involves commitment profile, self-concept, activity levels and achievements.     

Public and commercial leisure provision: active citizens and passive consumers?

Despite differing domain assumptions, the various perspectives in leisure studies have largely concentrated on providing a negative critique of ideologies of consumerism and the supposed ‘passivity’ of commercial leisure, often juxtaposed to the supposedly more ‘participatory’ and inclusive nature of public leisure provision. This concern with the mode of production and access has resulted in a failure to develop systematic sociological understandings of acts of consumption. It has also limited theoretical and empirical exploration of the extent to which new forms of consumerism may have served to re-define ‘leisure citizenship’ and the relationship between leisure and social exclusion. The article reviews the various perspectives and suggests that, despite differing domain assumptions there is a growing recognition within leisure studies of the need to move beyond a political defence of the ‘excluded’ to develop an empirically grounded sociological understanding of modern leisure forms.     

Lifestyle,leisure and pluralism — a response

In this paper we use data from the Scottish Young People's Surveys in order to examine the effects of post-16 experiences and social class on the leisure patterns of young people with an average age of just over 19 years. We analyse leisure patterns in relation to labour market status and assess the longer term effects of post-16 experiences on young people's leisure activities. We argue that young people's social class and experiences after the age of 16 have an important and lasting effect on their subsequent leisure patterns.     

From ‘just a swimmer’ to a ‘swimming mother’: women’s embodied experiences of recreational aquatic activity with pre-school children

Increased academic attention on the gendering of leisure pastimes in recent years has highlighted the centrality of the gendered body in influencing how leisure is accessed, experienced and transformed. To date, however, little attention has been paid to how women experience aquatic leisure activity, the second most popular form of leisure activity in the UK, and where female participation predominates. This paper presents results from research investigating the aquatic leisure experiences of 22 women, with children aged under 3, in the North-East of England. A number of key themes emerged from the data, which highlighted the centrality of the gendered, lived body as a key social construct contouring participant perceptions in the swimming pool environment. Women reflected upon their self-perceived physical deficiencies when wearing revealing swimming costumes, particularly under the critical gaze of ‘other’ bodies, whether present or imagined. The co-presence of other bodies was also central in shaping lived experiences, and the presence of ‘dependent’ children’s bodies shifted bodily intentionality away from the self towards perceived maternal responsibilities and the management of perceived risks, including ‘dirt’ and ‘germs’ and the negotiation of the tacit rules of the swimming pool. Results also suggest that the emphasis on maternal responsibility in aquatic leisure activity and timing of parent-toddler sessions could lead to reproduction of gender inequalities and the exclusion of some fathers from participation.     

The changing regulation of public leisure provision

There is much current international interest in the effectiveness, efficiency and economy of alternative mechanisms of public service delivery. In the UK, research has concentrated on Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT), both in terms of its impacts and the wider socio-political project which it represents. It has been argued that CCT has been less about getting the private sector into public leisure provision than it has about commercializing the public sector. However, it is evident that the ‘externalization’ of public leisure management functions has been encouraged by the legislation, meaning that a new marketplace has been created, characterized by the emergence of a number of private sector leisure management companies. With the potential advent of a new Best Value (BV) regime in place of CCT, it is argued that the significance of these companies could increase considerably. Here, this new dynamic of private capital into public leisure provision is analysed, through reviewing its structural nature in the context of the wider social reproduction of capitalism. In locating the analysis within the field of Regulation Theory, the paper makes explicit the exogenous structural nature of the dynamic, particularly in its need for legitimation through the annexation of change through social norms, mechanisms and institutions. The paper consequently argues that while the primary project of CCT may have been about the commercialization of the public sector, the underlying priority of government has been much more associated with the need to find new and acceptable ways of reinforcing the hegemonic message of consumerbased capitalism. It is concluded that the BV regime, far from challenging this orthodoxy, is likely to further legitimate it.     

A taxonomy of creative tourists in creative tourism

This study aims to characterize creative tourists and their perceptions of creative experiences at tourism sites. Creative tourists are active co-creators of their experiences; hence, they should be treated as a heterogeneous group of co-producers who have subjective opinions and feelings toward their creative experiences. The existing literature suggests that a creative experience is constructed by ‘inner reflections’, which include not only ‘consciousness/awareness’, ‘needs/motivations’ and ‘creativity’, but also ‘outer interactions’ which refer to ‘environment’, ‘people’ and ‘activity’ (Tan, Kung, & Luh, 2013). However, how a particular mix of factors interact and define an individual's perceptions of a creative experience may vary among different types of creative tourists. Q methodology was used to reveal the tourists' inherent subjectivity of creative experiences with regard to the constructions of personal meaning. Five distinct groups of creative tourists were identified: novelty-seekers, knowledge and skills learners, those who are aware of their travel partners' growth, those who are aware of green issues, and the relax and leisure type. Each consists of a different composition of factors which can provide new insights into how different creative tourists construct their personal creative experiences at these sites.     

Leisure motivation of people with physical and visual disabilities in Ghana

Leisure motivation is central to the provision of leisure services especially to marginalised groups such as disabled people who may have different interests from non-disabled people. Using cross-sectional data from 536 people with physical and visual disabilities, this study assessed the leisure motivations of disabled people in Ghana. The findings suggest that the motivations of people with visual and physical disabilities were fourfold, namely competence mastery, social, intellectual, and stimulus avoidance. The influence of social motivation varied across marital status and household size, while stimulus avoidance varied by type of disability, sex, and employment status. Competence mastery and intellectual motivation varied across sex and income levels. It was concluded that the leisure motivations of disabled people in this study are based on their personal circumstances; they are heterogeneous. The study recommends that research on leisure motivation should be conducted with reference to specific context and interpreted in relation to the individual’s circumstances.     

The stratification of professional sports following: social position and the consumption of major professional sports leagues in Canada

ABSTRACT

The existence, nature, and social make-up of the cultural omnivore has been a topic of consistent scholarly inquiry in recent decades. Studies exist examining these dynamics both across cultural fields (inter-domain) and fully within them (intra-domain). However, even as one of the most culturally salient domains of leisure, sport is often relegated to the side-lines of these debates. This study sets out to analyse the leisure ‘following’ of professional sports. Using large-scale survey data from Canada, and employing a variety of statistical methods, this paper finds numerous distinct omnivorous categories, as well as a univorous group of professional sports consumers. The results reveal that the omnivorous groups have elevated levels of cultural and economic capital. However, it is two more selective omnivorous profiles, rather than the most omnivorous group, that show the highest concentration of cultural and economic capital. These results shed doubt on the status of intra-domain omnivores by volume as the consumption profile of high status groups. This paper also presents gendered results from these consumption groups in the first large scale investigation of female professional sports following in Canada or elsewhere.     

Northern Ireland: the politics of leisure in a divided society

The public provision of leisure services and the impact which this has on the community has become a political issue. Nowhere is this more the case than in Northern Ireland where economic and social problems, together with the Troubles, led to a massive increase in central government's sponsorship of public leisure provision in the 1970s. This was a political gesture made more political in the manner through which district councils and local government officials discharged their devolved responsibilities and the way in which local communities appropriated leisure facilities. The resultant pattern of leisure provision reflects existing community boundaries and, as such, reinforces rather than ameliorates sectarian divisions.     

If it weren‘t for my hobby,I'd have a life: dog sports,serious leisure,and boundary negotiations

In the social sciences, work, family and religion - but not leisure - are commonly thought to shape the meanings people give their lives. But increasingly leisure research reports that under modernism, leisure practice and cultural consumption are at least as essential. What happens when leisure and ‘real world’ institutions pose different, even conflicting expectations? We focus on ‘serious leisure’ as elaborated through Tomlinson's ‘culture of commitment’. Our case study is people who participate in serious leisure involving dogs. The data comes from 61 interviews plus field notes based on our own involvement in dog sports. We ask how as an alternative world often perceived by self and others as marginal, this passionate avocation interfaces with the ‘real world’ of work, family, religion, and other social institutions. We find that dog sports indeed represent a ‘culture of commitment’. For hobbyists, involvement shapes such life realms as how time is used, how money is spent, how kin are defined, and how profit is viewed. Sometimes it generates strong behavioural expectations for participants, expectations that clash with those of the ‘real world’. Examples include gender identity and religious and work obligations. When these clashes occur, respondents neither simply succumb to nor resist either set of demands. Rather, they negotiate between the two, reproducing and reshaping each simultaneously. Meanwhile, they also deal with the intrinsic tensions that a serious leisure pursuit brings.     

Visitor (im)mobility,leisure consumption and mega-event impact: the territorialisation of Greenwich and small business exclusion at the London 2012 Olympics

Focusing on the London 2012 Olympics, we investigate the impact of mega-sport events’ spatial transformations on visitor mobility, local leisure consumption and resulting small business trade. Our case study draws on 43 in-depth interviews with local authorities, governmental and non-governmental project actors, and small-local leisure and visitor economy businesses (retail and hospitality) located at the heart of a ‘Host Event Zone’ in Greenwich, London. We supplement subjective accounts with a documentary analysis of policy reports, media, and archival material as the basis for our empirical analysis. Our findings reveal a major dichotomy between the ‘rhetoric’ of inclusion and local ‘realities’ of exclusion as security planning and spatial controls served to close off public spaces and local attractions: diverting visitor flows and leisure consumption towards official event sites, away from local businesses. We illustrate how such urban processes effectively render a vibrant business community invisible and visitors immobile to explore local community spaces during the live staging periods. We close with implications for event organisers, managers and policymakers focused on re-configuring the socio-spatial elements of Olympic organisation and re-direct and mobilise visitor economy flows towards more open civic and leisure spaces in the hope of better (re)distributing consumption into host communities.     

Leisure pursuits: uncovering the ‘selective tradition’ in culture and well-being evidence for policy

ABSTRACT

This article reconsiders the value of leisure studies to well-being evidence for policy-making. It presents secondary analyses of Office for National Statistics data from the Measuring National Well-being (MNW) debate (2010). It finds that leisure is more important to the nation than accounted for in official reports. Using Raymond Williams’ framework of ‘lived culture’ and ‘recorded culture’, the article interprets this analytical discrepancy as demonstrating the culture of ‘selective tradition’.

Raymond Williams’ work is used to understand the sidelining of leisure in the MNW programme in two ways. Firstly, the article addresses survey design and analysis. It finds a methodological bias against free text data as evidence, affecting which aspects of cultural and social life appear central to well-being. Secondly, the article takes a discourse approach to cultural sector advocacy, which, in arguing the value of arts-related activity, relegates aspects of ‘culture as ordinary’ by default. These two selective traditions mean that ‘everyday participation’ is not valued in discussions of well-being evidence, advocacy or in the final MNW measures, despite its value to the public. This article prioritises everyday understandings of well-being over those of experts, offering an ethical and practical contribution to leisure studies and policy-making for well-being.     

The offshore sailor: enskilment and identity

This paper employs the concept of enskilment – becoming skilful through active engagement – to investigate how a sense of identity, as an offshore sailor, is contingent upon being attuned to one’s environment. It draws on auto-ethnographic accounts to highlight the embodied practices that constitute ‘being’ an offshore sailor. In doing so, it draws on and extends investigations of leisure experiences concerned with offshore sailing, auto-ethnographic inquiry, the relationship between the body and the environment and developing a sense of identity. It highlights the process of enskilment that allowed the author to ‘(re)inhabit’ a particular leisure identity. The paper draws attention to the temporal and contingent identity of ‘being’ an offshore sailor that is grounded in the practice of offshore sailing. To understand the meaning of leisure experiences, it is helpful to foreground the embodied practices that constitute an activity, and consider how enskilment shapes participation and identity.