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Leisure Matters: The State and Future of Leisure Studies updates and expands Jackson and Burton’s Mapping the Past, Charting the Future (1989) and Leisure Studies: Prospects for the Twenty-First Century (1999). The need to do so was driven by the significant new developments in the leisure studies field and the arrival of new and upcoming experts in specific areas of study. Leisure Matters features new sections on • Disciplinary Perspectives (including chapters on anthropology, history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, biology, and economics of leisure) • Cognate Area Perspectives (including chapters on leisure, health, and physical activity; leisure and religion/spirituality; sport as leisure; and tourism) • International Perspectives (including chapters on leisure in Africa, Australia and New Zealand, East Asia, Europe, Latin America) • Diverse Perspectives (including chapters on leisure in terms of youth, family, older adults, immigrants, racial and ethnic groups, the LGBQ community; and people with disabilities) Other book chapters focus on leisure theory; leisure, time, and technology; leisure needs, motivations, and constraints; leisure, place, and social capital; leisure planning, marketing, and management; leisure research methods; and the future of the leisure studies field. Approximately 80% of each chapter summarizes the current state of that specific leisure concept, topic, or area, while the remaining 20% dares to “speculate imaginatively” about where it could (and should) proceed in the future. Both summary and speculation are limited to approximately 6,000 words, as chapter authors were instructed to heed French philosopher Blaise Pascal’s (1656) oft-cited apology that “I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter.” While Leisure Matters maintains the spirit and rigor of Jackson and Burton’s earlier books, it also reflects the growth and maturity that has subsequently occurred in the leisure studies field.

Leisure Matters: The State And Future Of Leisure Studies