Alison Pedlar

Moving beyond individualism in leisure theory: a critical analysis of concepts of community and social engagement

In the latter years of the twentieth century, the social relevance of the leisure field diminished as consumption and individualism came to dominate leisure and recreation research and praxis across modern democratic nations. A consequence of this focus in leisure studies has been a neglect of community and the common good. Now, at the commencement of the twenty-first century, three interrelated crises become increasingly apparent - the crisis of identity or self, a social crisis, and a political crisis. If leisure studies is to contribute to an attempt to address these crises and rebuild community, how might this happen without returning to the norms, duties and traditional structures that have oppressed and marginalized citizens? In this paper the notion of social capital is used to examine community structures and their potential contribution to social cohesion, trust, mutuality, co-operation and openness. The challenge is to develop a concept of community that can provide spaces for the social self and civic engagement to emerge. The paper explores the role of leisure practices in this pursuit. Central to the discussion is Borgmanns notion of focal practices - those pursuits which bring an engagement of mind and body and a centring power - and the way in which such practices create shared meaning and communities of celebration. Participation in communities of celebration entails people coming together in sports, festivals, hobbies, volunteering, and the arts, and finding in these leisure activities common and public goods. This communitarian conceptualization of leisure stands in stark contrast to the privatization of leisure that has become commonplace in recent decades.

Building communities through leisure: citizen participation in a healthy communities initiative.

This paper reports on an in-depth qualitative study of the experience of citizen participation as a leisure pursuit. Participants were involved with a Healthy Communities initiative. Findings indic...

Building community and social capital through children's leisure in the context of an international camp.

The purpose of the study was to explore the extent to which participation in leisure activities directed towards cooperation and effective communication affected the development of social capital and sense of community in a group of children at an international camp. Methods of data collection included participant observation and focus groups, which included drawings as a part of the focus group procedure. Through an inductive analysis of qualitative data gathered from 32 eleven-year old campers, leisure was observed to provide a common ground for the childrens relationship building and the development of shared meanings. The findings suggest that leisure can provide a foundation for the development of shared meanings through the process of participation and social learning, which in turn is conducive to the emergence of social capital and community.

Relevance and action research in leisure

Abstract In this article, I argue that action research has a critical role to play in leisure studies. Its strength lies in its ability to foster change and rejuvenate community in postindustrial society. The interdependence between people that is so vital to the welfare of the collective can be more fully realized through action research in leisure and recreation. However, there is a need for researchers to be well trained and subsequently encouraged to engage in action research so as to further the social relevance of leisure studies in both research and practice.

Restructuring Human Services in Canada: Commodification of disability

The human service system in Canada has undergone significant changes as a result of the dismantling of provisions that were once in place to ensure access to services by societys more vulnerable citizens. This paper draws on a cross-Canada examination of services to adults with developmental disabilities to report on the response of service providers in this time of turbulence. Qualitative analysis provides insight into the ways in which services have responded to shrinking budgets. Without leadership and lacking a social policy framework from senior levels of governments, the changing face of human services has been accompanied by the arrival of a new market-orientated service provider group that has deepened the commodification of disability. The examination concludes with the introduction of an approach to support which resists the trend toward commodification and re-establishes the social good, allowing the individual with a disability the right to participate more fully in community life alongside other members of society.

Leisure as a Context for Justice: Experiences of Ceremony for Aboriginal Women in Prison

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine the leisure experiences of Aboriginal women in a Canadian federal prison as they engaged in traditional ceremony. Conceptualized as leisure, these ceremonies were examined in the context of justice by exploring the womens resistance to oppression and loss of identity rooted in colonization. The findings of the study suggest that through ceremony, Aboriginal womens identities and understanding of being Aboriginal evolved from pain and shame to pride and connection with cultural values and traditions. Through cultural ceremonies, the women experienced liberation from a colonialized Aboriginal identity. In this process of liberation, women resisted and refocused the dominant conceptualization of justice based on white ideologies of crime and punishment, to encompass Aboriginal forms of justice, as manifest in the collective maintenance of harmony and balance.

Social justice and women leaving prison: beyond punishment and exclusion

Questions related to social justice are often considered frivolous or irrelevant in the context of people who come into conflict with the law. Young (1990, Justice and the politics of difference, Princeton University Press) has pointed to the importance of social justice, especially in societies where the dominant perspective of the privileged is regarded as neutral (and presumably fair), while others remain oppressed and excluded. We investigate the relevance of social justice in the treatment of women who are in prison. Based on more than a decade of practice and four years of research with women in one of Canadas federal prisons for women, we explore the question of social justice in the context of a recreation and leisure initiative whose aim is to assist women not only while they are incarcerated but most especially on release. The social recreation program is brought into the prison by a restorative justice community‐based organization. Men and women from the community come into the prison to recreate together and, in that context of natural conversation, relaxation and dialogue, Circles of support may develop. If a Circle is formed, volunteer members then follow the woman into the community and support her efforts to live as a participating citizen on release. The relevance of the work of Circles in furthering social justice within a system that, despite recent potentially innovative approaches to incarcerating women, has struggled to move beyond traditional practices of punishment and exclusion, which tend not to encourage strong and healthy community life, will be explored.

Community services landscape in Canada: survey of developmental disability agencies.

A survey of support services for adults with development disabilities living in community settings in Canada was conducted. Information gathered on services and changes occurring in the community services landscape is discussed. Along with a diminution of governments role in funding and guiding service provision, Canada has witnessed the emergence of private-for-profit services, a relatively recent phenomenon in human services. Differences between the private-for-profit and nonprofit sectors are discussed, including a greater propensity in the nonprofit agencies to engage in advocacy and community education. Overall, evidence indicates that some services are beginning to incorporate individualized approaches to funding and support. Implications for government and for services of emergent patterns of support are noted.

Resumption of role status through leisure in later life

The older adult population is more active and diverse than ever before. Meanwhile, societal expectations attached to the older person role have remained relatively static, reflecting an era of very different health and social conditions. Consequently, existing older adult role expectations are based on outdated images of older adult health and attendant lifestyle preferences, which influence the way in which human service organizations, including leisure service providers, support older persons. Thus, many persons entering later stages of life today experience role‐person misfit, particularly if they are not able to negotiate through the discrepancies between societal and individual role expectations. This article explores the possible impact of expectations associated with outdated older person roles and examines the role of leisure in addressing the resultant role‐person misfit. Evidence gleaned from the experiences of an institutionalized older adult who participated in an action research project illus...

Media representation of federally sentenced women and leisure opportunities: ramifications for social inclusion.

Abstract Recent policy developments, such as those guided by the federal Correctional Service of Canadas document Creating Choices, have been directed toward women‐centred approaches to rehabilitation of federally sentenced women in Canada. Content analysis of media response to a women‐centred event involving the community and federally sentenced women serves as a platform for reflective examination of the values around leisure and the possible challenges to social inclusion in the presence of conflicting societal values. National and local newspaper reports of a leisure and wellness day called “Womens Day Away” and reports related to a federal prison for women were examined over a nine‐month period. Initially intangible elements embedded in the media representations of leisure opportunities for federally sentenced women appeared to work against the intent of policy recommendations, and weaken the prospect for social inclusion on release. However, further investigation suggested that the local media provided space for negotiation of conflict and tension that enabled the emergence of a shared understanding of difference, ultimately increasing the potential for social inclusion.