Robert A. Stebbins Social Worlds and the Leisure Experience

Annotation

Scholars in leisure studies have amassed an impressive record of knowledge bearing on the social worlds of diverse serious pursuits, yet this sphere of modern life still needs a coherent statement about what social worlds consist of, what they do, and where they fit in social theory. The core activities at the base of the leisure experience are pursued within the social world that encompasses such activity. To understand more fully why people are attracted to and continue with a serious pursuit, we must also understand its social world. This concept is anchored in social theory and, in the domain of leisure, the serious leisure perspective. The social world and its accompanying ethos are centrally implicated as one of six distinctive qualities of the serious pursuits. Taking inspiration from Anselm Strauss, this book discusses the members of leisure social worlds and the activities they enthusiastically pursue, as well as examining the culture and communications of these worlds.