Leisure As a Tool for Social Justice: Studying the Case of Subjugated Women
Social justice moves toward the “removal of institutionalized dominion and subjugation” (Young, Citation1990, p. 15). As stated by Parry et al. (Citation2013), social justice aims to bring power structures and differentials to the forefront and strives for change in the enactment of power. Furthermore, the notion of justice strives for “conditions necessary for the development and exercise of individual capacities and collective communication and cooperation” (Young, p. 39). The social justice approach encompasses opportunities and supports for individuals and groups who have been marginalized to impact the direction and approach to change. While leisure scholars have encouraged a social justice perspective on leisure research (Allison, Citation2000; Stewart, Citation2014), little is known about how marginalized populations, such as women who are criminalized, experience leisure as a political act.
The idea of this analysis is to discover how women who have been subjugated to any form of violence experience leisure as an instrument for social justice and engagement. The study suggests leisure experiences have the potential for participants to consider the implication of social injustices upon themselves and be inspired to take action. The process is complex, and certain nuances of (dis)empowerment and barriers to engagement complicate efforts toward social justice. The study suggests women who have been subdued contribute to their marginalized status through internalized oppression while simultaneously challenging the social stigma and injustices they face.