Leisure and diaspora

This chapter explores the relationship between leisure and theories of diaspora. It proceeds by identifying the relative absence of the concept of diaspora in leisure studies in comparison to other fields within the social sciences. The chapter then considers some of the potential ways that leisure and diaspora might usefully come together, helping us to theorize the leisure practices and identities of migrant communities and their subsequent generations. The following section outlines some of the key contributions to diaspora studies, as well as critiques of this work. Next, some of the principal themes that have emerged in recent years in relation to leisure and migration processes more broadly are examined. Lastly, using a couple of examples from the author's own research in this area, the chapter considers how the concept of diaspora might be harnessed in diverse ways to think about twenty-first-century leisure.