Pastimes: The Context of Contemporary Leisure by Ruth V. Russell

by Ruth V. Russell

Pastimes is an introductory text. It gathers together the state of the art in leisure science and practice, reflecting as well a wide range of literature from the disciplines of sociology, psychology, economics, political science, and anthropology. More than a text that teaches the foundational meanings and roles of leisure, however, Pastimes is also a point of view. This text presents leisure as a human phenomenon that is both individual and collective, vital to survival and frivolous, historical and contemporary, good and bad. There are three main parts. Part one blends philosophy, religious studies, and the humanities in considering leisure as a condition of being human. Not only do chapters 1 through 4 establish the basic definitions and parameters for studying leisure, they ask readers to consider these concepts from their own personal framework. Part two is a focus on leisure's role in creating and reflecting society. Chapters 5 through 8 build on the personal relevancy of leisur

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 1996

Reviews

[Lana *Best left alone with books and snacks* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had to read this for work and wow did I learn stuff. Now I wish I paid attention in my sociology class. Highly recommend this for anyone who's interested in why we spend our time the way we do.

[Brian Cham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pastimes is a book covering just about everything that can p0ssibly be documented about leisure and pastimes. It's an all-encompassing book aiming to act as a comprehensive textbook, but written with the leisurely writing style (pardon the pun) of a more accessible non-fiction book for everyday audiences. Starting with some basic definitions and psychological theories of what "leisure" even is and why people do it, it sends the reader through a tour throughout different activities, settings and time periods. For every section, the authors explain a lot of examples as well as the theoretical bases behind analysing the benefits and appeals, but can sometimes feel like it's just going through some lists at times.