Overview

Serious Leisure offers a comprehensive view and analysis of the current state of the sociology of leisure. Defining and differentiating the way people use their free time, Stebbins divides such activity into categories of serious, casual, and project-based leisure that he further separates into a variety of types and subtypes. Together they comprise what he calls serious leisure. In this perspective, serious leisure constitutes systematic pursuit of an amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer activity sufficiently substantial and interesting in nature and requiring special skills, knowledge, and experience. Casual leisure, though immediately, intrinsically rewarding, is by contrast a relatively short-lived pleasurable activity, requiring little or no special training to enjoy it. Project-based leisure is a short-term, reasonably complicated, occasional creative undertaking carried out in free time. Stebbins sets out the basic concepts and propositions that make up the three forms, focusing on their essential elements. He takes stock of the serious leisure literature as well as that for casual and project-based leisure. Stebbins sees serious leisure realized by way of a set of foundational concepts--organization, community, history, lifestyle, and culture--and several of their component areas. He reviews the history and background of the concept of serious leisure and then adds historical commentary on, first, casual leisure and, then, project-based leisure. Finally, he examines the future and the importance of the serious leisure perspective in a globalizing world, and some of its critical links with other fields of knowledge and practice, notably the nonprofit sector and preventive medicine. Together with its original insights, Serious Leisure offers a single, handy, coherent, comprehensive resource. It will be of interest to sociologists, labor studies specialists, and economists.

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A renowned author in the field of leisure, having written more than 25 books on the subject, Stebbins (sociology, Univ. of Calgary) promises to offer a comprehensive view and analysis of scholarship in the sociology of sport. The author defines serious leisure as the systematic pursuit of an activity--as amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer--that is extremely interesting for the participant. Serious leisure requires special skills, knowledge, and experience. Stebbins describes casual leisure as immediately and intrinsically rewarding but short-lived, needing little or no special training. Finally, project-based leisure is a short-term task that is complicated. Stebbins takes up such issues as class, gender, youth, and disabilities and such concepts as obligation, values, and selfishness. He draws most of his evidence from Canadian examples and his own exhaustive research. --Choice

A renowned author in the field of leisure, having written more than 25 books on the subject, Stebbins (sociology, Univ. of Calgary) promises to offer a comprehensive view and analysis of scholarship in the sociology of sport. The author defines serious leisure as the systematic pursuit of an activity--as amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer--that is extremely interesting for the participant. Serious leisure requires special skills, knowledge, and experience. Stebbins describes casual leisure as immediately and intrinsically rewarding but short-lived, needing little or no special training. Finally, project-based leisure is a short-term task that is complicated. Stebbins takes up such issues as class, gender, youth, and disabilities and such concepts as obligation, values, and selfishness. He draws most of his evidence from Canadian examples and his own exhaustive research. --Choice

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