Whiteness and Leisure

The way in which leisure is used to construct whiteness and the way in which whiteness shapes leisure, is an important unanswered theme in sociological analyses of leisure. This book develops a new theory of instrumental whiteness and leisure, which draws in part on existing leisure theories and in part on the critical theorising around 'race' and whiteness. In developing a new theory of whiteness and leisure, new primary and existing secondary empirical research is drawn upon to highlight whiteness across a comprehensive and internationally-grounded range of leisure practices. The book explores sports participation, sports media and sports fandom, informal leisure, outdoor leisure, music, popular culture and tourism.

This book is grounded in Spracklen's development of leisure theory that uses a Habermasian framework of communicative and instrumental rationalities and actions to understand the tensions between utopian theories of individualized leisure and dystopian theories of increasing constraint and control.

Karl Spracklen is Professor of Leisure Studies at Leeds Metropolitan University, UK. His previous publications include Leisure, Sports and Society, The Meaning and Purpose of Leisure, Constructing Leisure and Sport and Challenges to Racism.

1. Thinking about the Problem
2. Theories of 'Race' and Whiteness
3. Studies of Whiteness in Leisure Studies
4. A New Theory of Whiteness
5. Whiteness and Popular Culture
6. Whiteness and Music
7. Whiteness and Sport
8. Whiteness and Sports Media
9. Whiteness and Everyday Leisure
10. Whiteness and Tourism
11. Whiteness and Outdoor Leisure
12. Conclusions