Abstract des Autors

During the ninetheenth century, leisure industries emerged to provide recreation and entertainment to Americans of all classes. By the 1920s, commercialized leisure was big business and today most Americans' leisure activities are based uponsome purchased commodity (e.g. theatre tickets, sports and stereo equipment). Entertainment has become a multi-billion dollar industry. The essays collected here explore the transformation this wrought in leisure and analyzes its effects on class relations in American society. These theoretical essays and case studies examine American entertainment and leisure from the 1830s to the 1980s. The contributors address issues of power, domination, and resistance with regard to leisure and describe how recreation has been an arena of class struggle. Topics range from vaudeville to home video, from recorded music to outdoor recreation. the diverse studies emphasize the many changes that have occurred during two centuries and illustrate the relative ability of capital, entrepreneurs, and consumers to shape leisure commodities to their own purposes. Focusing on the relationship between entertainment and consumption, this social history shows how producers of culture have found ways to commodify leisure practices. Contributors to this volume are: John CLARKE, Douglas GOMERY, L. Sue GREER, Stephen HARDY, George LIPSITZ, Sharon MAZZARELLA, Bruce McCONACHIE, Kathy PEISS, Robert SNYDER, Ellen WARTELLA, and the editor. Verf.-Referat