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Postmodernity and Leisure

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The Palgrave Handbook of Leisure Theory

Abstract

The concepts and analytical tools developed by Jean-François Lyotard and Bruno Latour have been employed to examine a wide variety of cultural phenomena, but have yet to be vigorously utilized in the realm of leisure studies. This chapter aims to bridge that gap by providing an introductory look into some of Lyotard and Latour’s best-known works. The chapter begins with an outline of a Lyotardian take on what the postmodern is, followed by an introduction on how we can relate some of his ideas on paralogy and the sublime, as critical tools that can be applied to research on leisure. In the second part of the chapter, criticisms of Lyotard and the idea of the postmodern, as raised by Bruno Latour, are brought forth, followed by an introduction on some of his ideas on Actor-Network Theory and the amodern as an alternative on how to deal with “postmodern” phenomena.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    I am not denying the existence of people who combine labor and leisure or those who engage in serious leisure (Stebbins 2014) or work in the leisure industry or any combination of instances that blur the lines between the two, but here I take the position that there exists various state promulgated laws and policies that define what leisure is for its citizens in terms of non-work time when “New forms of work were created in the mills, factories and docks…sharply divided the time of work and the time of leisure” (Spracklen 2015, p. 13) or through leisure policies and the creation of leisure facilities which point to leisure as something “outside” of paid work (Leheny 2003).

  2. 2.

    Also known as the sociology of translation (Law 1992) and the sociology of associations (Latour 2005).

  3. 3.

    This chapter is no replacement for the actual text and for a detailed account of ANT see Latour (2005), Law (1992) and Law and Hassard (1999).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University, Nishi-Waseda Bldg.7F, 1-21-1 Nishi-Waseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-0051, Japan

    Mira Malick

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  1. Mira Malick
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Carnegie Faculty, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom

    Karl Spracklen

  2. Carnegie Faculty, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom

    Brett Lashua

  3. Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada

    Erin Sharpe

  4. Health and Life Sciences, York St John’s University, Leeds, United Kingdom

    Spencer Swain

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Malick, M. (2017). Postmodernity and Leisure. In: Spracklen, K., Lashua, B., Sharpe, E., Swain, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Leisure Theory. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56479-5_39

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56479-5_39

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-56478-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-56479-5

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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