Careers in Serious Leisure : From Dabbler to Devotee in Search of Fulfillment

In this book series, we defend leisure as a meaningful, theoretical, and framing concept and critical studies of leisure as a worthwhile intellectual and pedagogical activity. This is what makes this book series distinctive: we want to enhance the discipline of leisure studies and open it up to a richer range of ideas; and, conversely, we want sociology, cultural geographies, and other social sciences and humanities to open up to engaging with critical and rigorous arguments from leisure studies. Getting beyond concerns about the grand project of leisure, we will use the series to demonstrate that leisure theory is central to understanding wider debates about identity, postmodernity, and globalization in contemporary societies across the world. The series combines the search for local, qualitatively rich accounts of everyday leisure with the international reach of debates in politics, leisure, and social and cultural theories. In doing this, we will show that critical studies of leisure can and should continue to play a central role in understanding society. The scope will be global, striving to be truly international and truly diverse in the range of authors and topics. Using the concept of fulfilment and the framework of the serious leisure perspective, this book examines the signposts marking the fulfilment career. This career begins with an interest in a serious pursuit, leading to an efflorescence many years later in amateurism, hobbyism, volunteering, or devotee work - and ultimately deeper fulfilment. Using the framework of the serious leisure perspective, this book explores the concept of career and the question often tackled in mid-life and even upon retirement: 'what to do with the rest of my life?' Apart from the classic economic concerns of pay, health care, fringe benefits, and possible chances for promotion, many people give little careful thought to a career in either work or leisure. In fact, one of the principal themes of this book is that interest in a fulfilment career, even when it leads to deeply attractive work, originates in leisure. If followed, this leads to an efflorescence many years later in amateurism, hobbyism, volunteering, or devotee work. Here participants discover some of the deepest meanings of fulfilment "Using the framework of the serious leisure perspective, this book explores the concept of career and the question often tackled in mid-life and even upon retirement: 'what to do with the rest of my life?' Apart from the classic economic concerns of pay, health care, fringe benefits, and possible chances for promotion, many people give little careful thought to a career in either work or leisure. In fact, one of the principal themes of this book is that interest in a fulfilment career, even when it leads to deeply attractive work, originates in leisure. If followed, this leads to an efflorescence many years later in amateurism, hobbyism, volunteering, or devotee work. Here participants discover some of the deepest meanings of fulfilment"-- Provided by publisher Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction....Pages 1-2 The Serious Leisure Perspective....Pages 3-27 Starting a Fulfillment Career....Pages 28-51 Amateurism as a Route to Fulfillment....Pages 52-81 Finding Fulfillment in a Hobby....Pages 82-108 Fulfilling Careers in Volunteering....Pages 109-124 Professional Devotee Work....Pages 125-142 Hobbyist and Volunteer Devotee Work....Pages 143-159 The Positive Quest for Fulfillment: Shadows....Pages 160-171 Back Matter....Pages 172-193