The ideology of leisure

Abstract

Chapter one defines the concept of leisure and introduces the hypothesis of leisure myths. Chapter two - the literature search - outlines the major theories which this work will draw upon, and offers them as fundamental reasons why our civilization seems unable to respond to the crises afflicting it. Chapter three again refers to the concept of leisure myths by discussing the structure, roles and functions of ideologies. Chapter four tackles the issue of professionalism claiming it is the logical result of the bureaucratization of all life, and attempts to document how this affects leisure which is taken to be the realm of freedom. Chapter five discusses the future of leisure in Western civilization. Finally the conclusion offers some thoughts on the possible directions in which our civilization is developing and possible pitfalls it is likely to encounter.