The Pragmatics of Leisure Revisited

Abstract

Henderson's notion of the pragmatics of leisure research is revisited in order to comment about the discipline's paradigmatic assumptions. First, the notion of an interpretive paradigm is called into question. I suggest that we should move away from talking about alternative ways of knowing to alternative ways describing phenomena under certain agreed upon standards. Then, I present a number of critical remarks on Henderson's reflection, argue for a more thoroughgoing pragmatism, as well as an orientation to leisure research that moves from traditional epistemological and ontological assumptions to cultural politics.

Keywords:

• cultural politics
• paradigms
• pragmatism