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Deconstruction, diversification,
reinvention
Transitional forces arguably
present certain elements of risk that can facilitate change as
well as presenting opportunities for the notion of legacy to
be established. Accepting the paradoxes of modernity, leisure
presents itself as both a vehicle and method for individuals
and organisations to knowingly regenerate in this period of shifting
realities. Papers for this theme might examine individual self-reinvention
through leisure, the reinvention of traditional pastime leisure
activities and industries as well as the deconstruction and subsequent
reinvention of social forces such as tourism.
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Spatial constructions
of leisure
The delineation of a space as
a potential venue for leisure is often a controversial, lengthy
and contested process. The outcome is often a fine balance between
a range of interest groups not least users, residents and environmentalists.
The establishment of two National Parks in the UK's South East
presents a challenge to the interpretation and understanding
of the possibilities for shifting leisure cultures in this region.
The theme presents opportunities for scholars interested in delineated
outdoor space, and in how interpretations by both individuals
and organisations can best be understood.
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Active leisure legacies
Southampton Solent University
is positioned at the forefront of active leisure research with
the launch of its Football Research Centre in 2009. But football
participation is just one aspect of active leisure participation
that needs greater scholarly examination. Other high-profile
leisure forms such as the Olympics are expected to provide legacies
that transcend issues of class, race and gender and are anticipated
to contribute to social, economic and cultural wellbeing. This
theme invites resarchers to examine how active leisure legacies
can/should be developed in line with the transitional Zeitgeist
of the age; and encourages a consideration of the construction
of active leisure lifestyles.
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New constituencies
for policy agendas
Active leisure, particularly
but not exclusively sport, has been acknowledged by leisure scholars
as forming a key part of government agendas as a policy tool
for the regeneration of many urban and rural communities. But
many have begun to question the validity and sustainability of
an approach which may tend to erode and destroy the very leisure
form it aims to support in meeting those broader agendas. Tourism
policy has also become prone to the rhetoric of regeneration,
particularly as an antidote to economic and industrial decline.
This theme asks "where next?" for policy; and for whom,
and how, leisure forms should be supported.
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