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This volume addresses the rich and varied thoughts, concepts, approaches and leisure practices in sixteen countries of three continents---Australia, Asia and Africa. The chapters showcase the diversity in the forms and ways in which the idea and practice of leisure have developed across space and time. However, the common thread through the chapters is that concepts and practices of leisure are found all over the world, from pre-historic settlements to the present-day consumer societies. Seemingly, being at leisure is a capacity of the human species present at birth and which develops in a variety of individual and societal contexts. Even in situations where leisure gets little official recognition as being an aspect of life---such as under colonial rule or in extremely work-centric societies---it needs to be contextually understood. This is a welcome addition to the literature on leisure studies from a global and comparative perspective.

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1. Introduction: Mapping Leisure Studies Ishwar Modi and Teus J. Kamphorst .- PART 1: Australia 2. Australian Leisure: From Antiquity to Modernity Francis Lobo.- 3 . Mapping Leisure and Life through the Ages in New Zealand Michael Toohey, Grant Cushman and Bob Gidlow.- PART 2: Asia 4 The Mapping of Leisure in Chinese Cultural Tradition Ma Huidi .- 5. Mapping Leisure and Life through the Ages in India Ishwar Modi.- 6 . The Meaning and Practice of Leisure and Recreation: An Analysis of Three Indonesian Muslim Professionals Iwan Gardono Sudjatmiko, Irsyad Zamjani and Adrianus Jebatu.- 7 . Mapping Leisure and Life through the Ages in Iran Gholamreza Ghaffary.- 8 . Mapping Leisure and Life through the Ages of Israel Atara Sivan and Elie Cohen-Gewerc.- 9 . Strategies of Leisure in Japan Scott North.- 10 . Mapping Leisure and Life in Korea Erwei Dong.- 11. Mapping Leisure in the Philippines Manuel Enverga.- 12. Leisure as Distinction in the Turkish Middle Class: Nursing Babies, Collecting a Trousseau, Meeting at the Malls, or Surfing? Zerrin Arslan.- PART 3: Africa.- 13. From Precolonial, Colonial to Postcolonial: A Survey of African Leisure Veena Sharma.- 14 Evolution of Leisure Patterns in Morocco: FSpiritual Pilgrims to Contemporary Mall Wanderers Thibault Danteur.- 15. On the Possibilities of Leisure Studies in Mozambique: Historical and Sociological Considerations Patrício V. Langa.- 16. Transformation of Leisure in Nigeria Aretha Oluwakemi Asakitikp i.- 17. Leisure in Historical Perspective: The Case of South Africa - Past and Present Mokong Simon Mapadimeng

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Ishwar Modi (late) was Director, India International Institute of Social Sciences. He was also the Founder Director, Centre for Leisure and Tourism Studies, University of Rajasthan and a Visiting Professor, Indian Institute of Health Management Research, Jaipur. A pioneer of leisure studies in India, he was an Honorary Life Member of the World Leisure Organization and also a Senior Fellow and Founder Member of the World Leisure Academy. He was an Executive Committee Member of the International Sociological Association and was the President of its Research Committee on Sociology of Leisure. He was also the President of the Indian Sociological Society (2012-2013). He was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award (2015) of the Indian Sociological Society.
Teus J. Kamphorst was Director of the WLRA International Centre of Excellence (WICE) in the Netherlands which has produced several students of eminence in the field of leisure, tourism and environment. He was also the President of the Research Committee on Sociology of Leisure of the International Sociological Association.

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