Cover image of the Australian Leisure book
Veal, A. J., Darcy, S., & Lynch, R. (2013). Australian leisure (4th ed.). Sydney: Pearson International
Australian Leisure 4e provides an introduction to and analysis of a broadly defined concept of leisure. It integrates Australian and international knowledge so that the book is an Australian interpretation, based largely on local sources, but which engages with relevant international research and theory. This edition has been extensively reviewed and updated and includes new chapters on social networks, global cultures and events.
Leisure is not just sport, or the arts, or outdoor recreation, it is all these things and more, including tourism, gambling, hobbies, television watching, entertainment, play and doing nothing in particular.
As the UK sociologist Chris Rojek observes, leisure can be anything from churchgoing to serial killing.
A significant feature of the book is the prominence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and contemporary role in Australian leisure.
The purpose of the text is to illuminate leisure and its place in past, present and future Australian society. The text is designed to lead students into the subject and provide pointers to more detailed study, through discussion questions and guides to further reading.