Citizenship and leisure in pandemic times

Abstract

The new Coronavirus pandemic changed all aspects of reality. The unscheduled subversion of our space-time references painted the subject of leisure in colors that were previously neglected. The panorama at the beginning of 2020 was characterized by the predominance of monopolistic and globalized structures for the commercialization of leisure, by the difficulty of maintaining socially-based initiatives committed to participatory practices, and by the inequality in the practice of leisure as a right. The impacts of the health crisis accentuated these aspects, uncovering a situation that managers, public administrators, scholars and citizens are invited to reflect on. Considering the rapid acceleration of the digitalization of leisure experiences, the inequality in the access to leisure activities and the fact that the right to leisure is constitutionally provided for in Brazil, one must ask which bodies would be in charge of guaranteeing this right, including the education for leisure focused on people's autonomy. Although this guarantee is related to public policies, it is worth noting that institutions in the socio-cultural field, as is the case of Sesc - Serviço Social do Comércio (Social Service of Commerce), can get involved in such debates.