History (and the Future) of Recreation and Leisure

The history of leisure and recreation is not a continuous one and might challenge your idea of how recreation evolved.  In addition to inequitable levels of access to recreation, the activities that societies engage in for leisure (and the purposes of recreating) have changed drastically across time.  Did the ancient Greeks and Mayans recreate “for fun” or other reasons?  Have public parks always been part of the social and geographic landscape?  You’ll be able to answer these and other questions about the history of leisure after completing this chapter.