Fifth International Conference on Tourism & Leisure Studies

Abstract

This paper presents the concepts of cultural capital and serious leisure involvement in order to understand how the former has been utilized in the field of leisure to explain one’s serious leisure involvement. The question is, can one’s leisure preferences and type of serious leisure pursuit emerge exclusively without the conceptual notion of cultural capital? Ultimately, the claim here is that cultural capital can possibly be the major factor that explains the beginning stage of one’s serious leisure involvement. The paper reveals that serious leisure is a social behavioral construct that provides an avenue for individuals to develop their social interest. Individuals cultivate such interest into a systematic pursuit that is fully incorporated into their daily lifestyle, such that it becomes part of them and reflects their personality. However, the choice of activity, and how individuals demonstrate seriousness in a systematic pursuit is informed by cultural capital or wealth. Suggestions for future research are also offered.