Editorial

The first issue of 2020 includes five research papers written by scholars from six countries, covering issues related to leisure practices and experiences of diverse populations. We also have a book review and our regular section of news and notices.

In the first research paper, Kenneth Roberts, Siyka Kovacheva and Stanimir Kabaivanov analysed findings from surveys on young people from five South and East Mediterranean countries, conducted following the “Arab Spring”. The analysis, underpinned by the concept of “Big Leisure”, reveals gender and social class differences and the effect of educational attainment and labour force experiences on leisure behaviour of people at this stage of life.

Louis-Pierre Auger, Baptiste Fournier, Charles-Émile Desgagnés-Cyr, Manon Parisien, Kareen Nour, Michel Fournier, Danielle Guay and Nathalie Bier from Canada reported on their study exploring the impact of cognitive and social leisure activities on the cognitive vitality of community dwelling seniors attending community organisations. Both diversity and frequency of participation in cognitive leisure activities were found to be related to specific components of cognitive health. It is interesting to note the types of activities that were related to the participants’ cognition which include paper-and-pencil games, computer use and helping a sibling. Recommendations were made to further the study on the diversity of leisure in relation to cognitive vitality.

In the third paper, Annika Hellman and Ylva Odenbring shared their study on the way in which white middle class men construct and negotiate their masculinity, social class and ethnicity through skateboarding in urban spaces in Sweden. Adopting an intersectional perspective, the researchers analysed a video recorded by a young male skateboarder and the interview conducted with him. Skateboarding was found to be a playful way in which young middle-class males use the urban space to express a culture which incorporates bravery and risk-taking elements and articulates masculine subjectivity.

Utilizing Delphi method with ten experts in the field of recreation, Cornelia Margarete Schreck, Johannes Theron Weilbach, and Gerda Reitsma examined the graduate attributes required in entry-level recreation professionals in South Africa. Differences were found between the expectations from South African graduates and US graduates in the relative importance of several attributes including “passion for the profession” and “trainability and willingness to learn”.

The fifth study by Justin Harmon and Alexandra Arpajian showed the positive contribution of non-traditional mode of therapeutic music making to people whose lives were affected by cancer. Thirty people who participated in a therapeutic drumming clinic revealed their ability to address their emotions and find music as their therapeutic resource. As stated by the authors, this therapeutic drumming became “an accessible skill they could invite into their lives” as a coping mechanism and a tool to express emotions related to their illness.

In addition to the above five research papers, we are pleased to include a comprehensive review by Kenneth Roberts of a recent book by Tony Veal entitled Whatever Happened to the Leisure Society?, published by Routledge, London.

Under “News and Notices”, we have a piece by World Leisure Secretariat announcing that the 2024 World Leisure Congress will be held in the Netherlands under the theme of “Leisure for a better society”.

We would like to remind readers of the upcoming special issue on Benefits and Threats of Travel and Tourism in a Globalized Cultural Context, which will be guest-edited by Carolin Lusby. The Call for Papers is included at the end of the issue. Please note the word limit for manuscripts has been changed recently to 9000, and it also applies to all research papers submitted for regular issues.

Last but not least, we extend our heartfelt thanks to those who have contributed to the Journal as reviewers in 2019. By undertaking this process and providing meaningful comments to authors, the reviewers have maintained the quality of WLJ.