Critical Leisure Studies 2015-16

About the Cluster

While Leisure Studies as such is institutionalized as a professional training program for working with public recreation, children, disabled people, and the elderly, the Critical Leisure Studies research cluster proposes we seriously consider the category of leisure as a social, political, and economic construct with implications for the affective relations between and biopolitical disciplining of bodies.

The Critical Leisure Studies research cluster will enable collaborative research and discussion around the following themes:

Histories of hierarchy

The gender of nonwork and alienation

Capital, technologies, and games

The biopolitics of leisure

Leisure and citizenship

The research cluster will host a quarterly series of on-campus workshops, seminars, and talks. These interdisciplinary, intergenerational forums will enable the discussion and collaboration creative connections necessary to address the research questions brought together by Critical Leisure.

 

UC Santa Cruz Faculty Participants

Chris Connery, Literature

Lucas Fain, Philosophy

Michelle Glowa, Environmental Studies

Dean Mathiowetz, Politics

Bob Meister, History of Consciousness

Lisa Rofel, Anthropology

Warren Sack, Film + Digital Media

Noah Wardrip-Fruin, Computational Media

 

UC Santa Cruz Graduate Student Participants

Isaac Blacksin, History of Consciousness

Caroline Kao, Anthropology

Joe Klein, Anthropology

Cecelia Lie, Feminist Studies

Trung Nguyen, History of Consciousness

Lilian Thaoxaochay, Anthropology

Jess Whatcott, Politics

Aaron Wistar, History of Consciousness

 

Events

February 9, 2016: Critical Leisure Studies Winter Seminar: Introduction & The Right to be Lazy

October 27, 2015: Melissa Gregg: “8 Hours for What We Will”