Leisure and the Anthropocene: Special Issue Introduction

The Anthropocene, introduced by scientists in 2000 to name the current geological epoch, draws attention to the scale and force of anthropogenic impacts on Earth systems. With this special issue, we aim to inspire and assemble scholarship that has an intentional focus on understanding, critiquing, and (re)imagining relationships between leisure and the Anthropocene. More specifically, we have invited contributing authors to explore questions such as: how is the field of leisure studies grappling with global ecological crises? How does leisure matter in the Anthropocene? How has leisure been complicit in producing the Anthropocene? How might leisure help heal, or inflict further damage to, human and more-than-human relations within planetary systems? This article introduces the special issue by presenting brief background information for readers and illuminating three cross-cutting themes within the special issue manuscripts, namely: (a) times, temporalities, and rhythms; (b) ethical relationships and responsibilities; and (c) “new” sensibilities.