New Horizons in Loss and Death Research in Leisure Studies

Abstract

Death is among the few certainties of life. Although personal and societal attitudes about death are varied and complex, death can act as a catalyst for action, resulting in a somber, affirmative, and more authentic existence—captured by Heidegger’s term “being-toward-death.” This article calls for a more proactive engagement with the topic of death vis-à-vis leisure, asserting a greater need to embrace diverse perspectives, philosophies, and worldviews through both empirical and conceptual research. Serving as the introduction to the special issue of Leisure Sciences on “Leisure, Loss and Death,” it explores nuanced definitions of death and distinguishes between personal and collective loss. It urges a more affirmative embrace of death in leisure research, presenting death as an existential milieu that can inform human existence.

Keywords:

• being-toward-death
• collective
• leisure and death
• loss
• personal loss

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).