Century of the Leisured Masses

Century of the Leisured Masses PDF Author: David George Surdam
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0190211571
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
American living standards improved rapidly during the twentieth-century. The rise of leisure, both in terms of time allotted and in terms of consumption of leisure goods and services, was astounding. When social critic Thorstein Veblen penned Theory of the Leisured Class, Americans were just beginning to enjoy more and better leisure. In Century of the Leisured Masses, David George Surdam explores the growing role played by leisure in the daily lives of Americans and what factors contributed to this change.

Century of the Leisured Masses

Century of the Leisured Masses PDF Author: David George Surdam
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0190211571
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 325

Get Book Here

Book Description
American living standards improved rapidly during the twentieth-century. The rise of leisure, both in terms of time allotted and in terms of consumption of leisure goods and services, was astounding. When social critic Thorstein Veblen penned Theory of the Leisured Class, Americans were just beginning to enjoy more and better leisure. In Century of the Leisured Masses, David George Surdam explores the growing role played by leisure in the daily lives of Americans and what factors contributed to this change.

American Cultural History: A Very Short Introduction

American Cultural History: A Very Short Introduction PDF Author: Eric Avila
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190200596
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 166

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Book Description
The iconic images of Uncle Sam and Marilyn Monroe, or the "fireside chats" of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the oratory of Martin Luther King, Jr.: these are the words, images, and sounds that populate American cultural history. From the Boston Tea Party to the Dodgers, from the blues to Andy Warhol, dime novels to Disneyland, the history of American culture tells us how previous generations of Americans have imagined themselves, their nation, and their relationship to the world and its peoples. This Very Short Introduction recounts the history of American culture and its creation by diverse social and ethnic groups. In doing so, it emphasizes the historic role of culture in relation to broader social, political, and economic developments. Across the lines of race, class, gender, and sexuality, as well as language, region, and religion, diverse Americans have forged a national culture with a global reach, inventing stories that have shaped a national identity and an American way of life. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Time for Things

Time for Things PDF Author: Stephen D. Rosenberg
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674979516
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 355

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Book Description
Modern life is full of stuff yet bereft of time. An economic sociologist offers an ingenious explanation for why, over the past seventy-five years, Americans have come to prefer consumption to leisure. Productivity has increased steadily since the mid-twentieth century, yet Americans today work roughly as much as they did then: forty hours per week. We have witnessed, during this same period, relentless growth in consumption. This pattern represents a striking departure from the preceding century, when working hours fell precipitously. It also contradicts standard economic theory, which tells us that increasing consumption yields diminishing marginal utility, and empirical research, which shows that work is a significant source of discontent. So why do we continue to trade our time for more stuff? Time for Things offers a novel explanation for this puzzle. Stephen Rosenberg argues that, during the twentieth century, workers began to construe consumer goods as stores of potential free time to rationalize the exchange of their labor for a wage. For example, when a worker exchanges his labor for an automobile, he acquires a duration of free activity that can be held in reserve, counterbalancing the unfree activity represented by work. This understanding of commodities as repositories of hypothetical utility was made possible, Rosenberg suggests, by the advent of durable consumer goods—cars, washing machines, refrigerators—as well as warranties, brands, chain stores, and product-testing magazines, which assured workers that the goods they purchased would not be subject to rapid obsolescence. This theory clarifies perplexing aspects of behavior under industrial capitalism—the urgency to spend earnings on things, the preference to own rather than rent consumer goods—as well as a variety of historical developments, including the coincident rise of mass consumption and the legitimation of wage labor.

Leisure and Recreation Management

Leisure and Recreation Management PDF Author: George Torkildsen
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135810478
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 623

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Book Description
This revised and updated edition reflects the changes that have taken place within the field of leisure and recreation management in recent years. Issues such as social inclusion, cultural strategy, exercise for health have risen to the top of the policy agenda. Commercial pressures, changes in the voluntary and public sector and emerging leisure professions such as sports development and playwork are all profoundly influencing the professional landscape. Leisure and Recreation Management is the only book to cover leisure history, key leisure concepts, trends, provision, management practices and operational issues in one comprehensive volume. · Leisure and Cultural Heritage - the social and historic factors shaping current leisure · Themes in Leisure, Recreation and Play - understanding leisure as a social · Leisure Planning and Provision - in the Public, voluntary and commercial sectors · Leisure Products - exploring the key areas of tourism, the countryside, the arts, and sport · Leisure Management - principles and practice for leadership, staffing, training, programming, event management, leisure marketing and more Exploring every key concept and innovation, and with more student-friendly textbook features than ever before, Leisure and Recreation Management is essential reading for student and professional interested in the theory and practice of managing leisure and recreation services and facilities.

Leisure and Consumption

Leisure and Consumption PDF Author: R. Stebbins
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0230244866
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 190

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Book Description
The study of consumption has never seriously examined the role of leisure. This ambitious, agenda-setting study, provides the most in-depth examination of the relationship between the two to date, drawing on the serious leisure perspective and outlining a new conceptual framework for analyzing consumption for leisure.

Torkildsen's Sport and Leisure Management

Torkildsen's Sport and Leisure Management PDF Author: George Torkildsen
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134390076
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 596

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Book Description
For this new edition the book has been completely revised, bringing the subject up to date in line with recent developments. Key changes address issues surrounding government policy and public sector leisure provision, the National Lottery, global conditions such as the world economic climate and the European Union, and communication and travel advances. New content also covers: play, recreation, leisure and the needs of people leisure trends, planning and government the legacy of CCT and the introduction of Best Value management, training and operational aspect of Leisure & Recreation management Leisure and Recreation Management deals with the theory of leisure studies as well as the day-to-day practicalities of managing sport, leisure and recreation facilities, ensuring this book's continued success as a student textbook and a guide for the practitioner.

The SAGE Dictionary of Leisure Studies

The SAGE Dictionary of Leisure Studies PDF Author: Tony Blackshaw
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1446202321
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
What is Leisure Studies? Who are the key figures in the field? How can we evaluate the relevance of concepts in the field? This is the first full length Dictionary of Leisure Studies. It examines the key concepts, assesses the work of central figures and helps students zero-in on essential issues and conceptual distinctions. The Book: • Provides an unprecedented critical survey of the field • Offers students authoritative, comprehensive accounts of the basic concepts and leading figures • Provides students with core resources to write essays and pass exams Written by teachers experienced with the needs of undergraduates and postgraduates in the field, the book will be quickly recognized as a vital asset in making sense of Leisure Studies.

Leisure and Fellowship in the Life of the Black Church

Leisure and Fellowship in the Life of the Black Church PDF Author: Steven N. Waller
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 149906473X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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Book Description
Leisure and Fellowship in the Life of the Black Church explores why leisure and fellowship in congregational life of African American churches matters. The book provides a biblical and theological foundation for the concepts of work, rest, Sabbath, play, leisure and fellowship. Moreover, the book explores how religious tradition and doctrine shape and constrains our attitudes and behaviors about leisure, fellowship and living abundantly. Several churches are lifted as exemplars based on the way that they embrace leisure and fellowship within their respective congregations. In the closing chapters, the book examines what leisure and fellowship might be like in Heaven and how we engage Christ and each other in congregations.

Music, Leisure, Education

Music, Leisure, Education PDF Author: Roger Mantie
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199381380
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
This book explores historical and philosophical connections between music, leisure, and education. Specifically, it considers how music learning, teaching, and participation can be reconceptualized in terms of leisure. Taking as its starting point the art of living and the ethical question of how one should live, the book engages a wide range of scholarship to problematize the place of non-professional music-making in historical and contemporary (Western) conceptions of the good life and the common good. Part I provides a general background on music education, school music, the work ethic, leisure studies, recreation, play, and conduct. Part II focuses on two significant currents of thought and activity during the Progressive Era in the United States, the settlement movement and the recreation movement. The examination demonstrates how societal concerns over conduct (the threat of leisure) and differing views on the purpose of music learning and teaching led to a fracturing between those espousing generalist and specialist positions. The four chapters of Part III take readers through considerations of happiness (eudaimonia) and the good life, issues of work-life balance and the play spirit, leisure satisfaction in relation to consumerism, individualism, and the common good, and finally, parenting logics in relation to extracurriculars, music learning, and serious leisure.

The Serious Leisure Perspective

The Serious Leisure Perspective PDF Author: Sam Elkington
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317810414
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
The "Serious Leisure Perspective" (SLP) is a theoretical framework that can help us understand the complexities of modern leisure as both an activity and an experience. Bringing together the study of serious leisure, casual leisure and project-based leisure, it is an essential component of the Leisure Studies curriculum and an invaluable tool for exploring the significance of leisure in contemporary society. This book is the first of offer a comprehensive introduction to the Serious Leisure Perspective, from fundamental principles and key concepts to in-depth and wide-ranging case studies of serious leisure pursuits. The book introduces the history of the SLP and its position alongside other social theories that attempt to explain the nature and function of leisure. It explores important themes such as consumption, gender relations, social capital and quality of life, and delves deeply into the leisure of amateurs, hobbyists, career volunteers and occupational devotees. Every chapter includes a range of useful pedagogical features, such as review questions and group exercises, to help the student to grasp the importance of understanding leisure as a way of understanding contemporary social life and society. Combining cutting-edge theory and method with an engaging and practical interface, this is an essential text for all Leisure Studies courses and illuminating reading for any student working in Tourism, Events, Sport, Recreation, Sociology or Cultural Studies.