Political ecologies of leisure: a critical approach to nature-society relations in leisure studies

Abstract

A considerable amount of leisure studies scholarship over the past half-century implicates ‘nature’ taking a prominent role in leisure studies scholarship. Most often in leisure-oriented literature, nature takes the form of an inert, unproblematic backdrop upon which human leisure experiences take place, in deference to the individual experience in nature. Political ecology is a critical approach that foregrounds nature-society relationships, noting the substantial role of political economy in influencing human behaviour, ecological conditions, and the dynamic interactions between the two. While political ecology scholarship regularly addresses leisure activities, settings, and perspectives, and leisure studies scholarship often considers nature-society interconnections, rarely has there been explicit connections between political ecology and leisure. In this paper, we state the case that in the Anthropocene, where nearly all ecological interactions are affected by human influences, it is appropriate for leisure studies scholars to more fully incorporate political ecology into research and praxis.