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Towards a geography of leisure: control, resistance and transformation within the South African city

Includes bibliographical references.

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Main Author: Goudie, Simon Charles
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Environmental and Geographical Science 2015
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access_status_str Open Access
author Goudie, Simon Charles
author_browse Goudie, Simon Charles
author_facet Goudie, Simon Charles
author_sort Goudie, Simon Charles
collection Thesis
description Includes bibliographical references.
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/14945
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:33:07.122Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2015
publishDateRange 2015
publishDateSort 2015
publisher Department of Environmental and Geographical Science
publisherStr Department of Environmental and Geographical Science
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/14945 Towards a geography of leisure: control, resistance and transformation within the South African city Goudie, Simon Charles Leisure - South Africa Recreation - Research - South Africa Social conditions Includes bibliographical references. For geographers concerned with understanding the social dynamics of space, an investigation of leisure patterns and processes is vital. Studies of leisure will provide geography with a powerful focus for deconstructing the social forces operative within the urban landscape, and thus the construction of a detailed understanding of socio- spatial dialectics. This thesis analyses the state of leisure geography and identifies the issues central to theoretical development within this field. Of primary importance in this study is the contention that geographers have seldom been concerned with issues within the realm of leisure, and that their insights have been limited, given that these are frequently based on conservative discourses. A structuralist paradigm is advocated as the foundation for formulating a progressive framework for leisure studies. Such a framework, however, must be sensitive to the complex dialectics of agency and broader social constraints if it is to move beyond the determinism of past structuralist analyses of leisure. By attending both to issues of structural control and the importance of individual agency, it is possible to challenge the focus upon resource distribution that has dominated geographical enquiries in the realm of leisure. With reference to the history of South African recreation experiences and the broad principles of apartheid policy, it is shown that investigations of leisure need to include an appreciation of resource utilisation. In this way, the efforts and energies of communities can be recognised. The advantage of this is that a more empowering critique of leisure patterns and processes can be established. In order to demonstrate the value of such an approach, the thesis ends with a case study of leisure opportunities within a low-income residential area in Cape Town. More traditional, conservative analytical frameworks would have been unable to make visible the dynamics of resistance and control that are identified here. This thesis is informed by the wish to link academic enquiry to practical interventions into the sphere of leisure. The dialectics of control, resistance and transformation are manifested in both tangible geographical space and in intangible issues of resource utilisation. The implications of this reality are explored with reference to state, capitalist and community agendas. 2015-11-13T13:00:01Z 2015-11-13T13:00:01Z 1993 Master Thesis Masters MA http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14945 eng application/pdf Department of Environmental and Geographical Science Faculty of Science University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Leisure - South Africa
Recreation - Research - South Africa
Social conditions
Goudie, Simon Charles
Towards a geography of leisure: control, resistance and transformation within the South African city
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Towards a geography of leisure: control, resistance and transformation within the South African city
title_full Towards a geography of leisure: control, resistance and transformation within the South African city
title_fullStr Towards a geography of leisure: control, resistance and transformation within the South African city
title_full_unstemmed Towards a geography of leisure: control, resistance and transformation within the South African city
title_short Towards a geography of leisure: control, resistance and transformation within the South African city
title_sort towards a geography of leisure control resistance and transformation within the south african city
topic Leisure - South Africa
Recreation - Research - South Africa
Social conditions
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14945
work_keys_str_mv AT goudiesimoncharles towardsageographyofleisurecontrolresistanceandtransformationwithinthesouthafricancity