Provides a student-friendly guide to the key debates in leisure studies.

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.

Balancing theory and practice, this is a core introductory textbook for HDN and first-year undergraduate courses in leisure studies and leisure management.

This book walks students through the selection and application of research methods within Tourism. Experienced authors introduce the relevant language and theory of key methodologies and then develop them using strategic literature review and the inclusion of international examples which relate directly to tourism. Each concept sets the historical and philosophical context of a method alongside the practical application of the technique and provides: • authoritative and reliable data • informative cross-referencing • detailed discussion of theories and their critics • suggestions for further reading The book is a vital resource for all students of tourism, leisure and management.

"There are textbooks galore, but there aren’t many crafted as intelligently as this one. This book will change the way that students understand leisure. It will give them an easier entry to that place where difficult ideas fuse into something intelligible, where real understanding sits and the educated imagination is stirred." - Tony Blackshaw, Sheffield Hallam University Peter Bramham and Stephen Wagg provide a foundation for those studying within the broad field of leisure studies. The book gives students an accessible and engaging introduction to leisure studies and leisure research, encouraging students to engage in reflexive analysis of their common sense understandings of everyday life and enabling them to develop an understanding of contemporary leisure studies and changing leisure practices.

No single introductory book has until now captured the range of thought appropriate for scrutinizing the ambivalent idea of leisure. After analyzing key definitions, concepts and theories, Blackshaw offers his own theory of liquid leisure, which asks some demanding questions about the present and the future of the idea in people’s lives and its role in civil society.

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.

Tourism is the fourth biggest industry in the world. What are the key concepts in Tourist Studies? This essential resource for students of tourism contains concise and authoritative entries on: • Planning Tourism • Sustainable Tourism • Festivals and Events • Cultural Tourism • Economics of Tourism • Regeneration • The Experience Economy • Urban Tourism • Sex Tourism Shrewdly judged to suit the needs of the modern student, the book offers the basic materials, tools and guidance for making sense of tourism and gaining the best results in essays and exams.

"This book is both insightful and engaging, enriched with diverse and up-to-date readings. Tony Blackshaw lays bare debates surrounding the uses and abuses of key concepts of community studies and breathes new life into community as theory and community studies as method." - Peter Bramham, Leeds Metropolitan University "I would highly recommend this book to any student who is studying communities and groups in society. The book and chapters are structured in a way that students will find it easy to move from one theme to another; to dip into relevant chapters when needed; to gain a good understanding of concepts and how and why they are applied to individuals and communities. The book encompasses both breadth and depth of key concepts and issues. This book will be compulsory reading on our Community Studies degree." - Lesley Groom, University of Bolton This book defines the current identity of community studies, provides a critical but reliable introduction to its key concepts and is an engaging guide to the key social research methods used by community researchers and practitioners. Concise but clear, it caters for the needs of those interested in community studies by offering cross-referenced, accessible overviews of the key theoretical issues that have the most influence on community studies today. It incorporates all of the important frames of reference including those which are: theoretical research focused practice and policy oriented political concerned about the place of community in everyday life. The extensive bibliographies and up-to-date guides to further reading reinforce the aim of the book to provide an invaluable learning resource. Interdisciplinary in approach and inventive in its range of applications this book will be of value to students studying sociology, social policy, politics and community development.

Written by experienced academics used to teaching the subject this book will help students and researchers find their way within the diverse field of sport studies. Clear, well researched entries explain the key concepts in the debates surrounding the social significance and social dynamics of sport. Each entry provides: • Clear Definitions • Relevant Examples • Up-to-date Suggestions for Further Reading • Informative Cross-Referencing Valuable in its parts and indispensable as a whole this book will provide a stimulating, practical guide to the relationship between sport and society. Stephen Wagg is Professor of Sport and Society at Leeds Metropolitan University. Carlton Brick lectures in the School of Sciences at the University of the West of Scotland in Paisley. Belinda Wheaton is a Senior Research Fellow in the Chelsea School, University of Brighton. Jayne Caudwell is a Senior Lecturer in the Chelsea School, University of Brighton.