Understanding the Leisure Experiences of a Minority Ethnic Group: South Asian Teens and Young Adults in Canada

Abstract

This paper reports on a qualitative study which sought to examine the role of leisure in the lives of young adults who were the children of visible ethnic minority immigrants to Canada. Its focus was twofold: (a) to explore leisure in their daily lives, its contribution to their sense of identity, and the role leisure played as these young people tried to balance both Canadian society and their own cultural traditions, and (b) to consider how their leisure may have been shaped by such factors as the values and beliefs of their own family members. The young adults were South Asian Canadians whose parents had immigrated to Canada. Findings indicated that as individuals within the minority ethnic culture move from their traditional “small community” toward the “greater society” of the dominant culture, some degree of dissonance and conflict emerged. Although family remained a valued and central aspect of the study participants' lives, conflict emerged within some families as the participants began the process of assimilation and attempted to balance involvement in traditional small community with leisure that is typically pursued by young adults in the greater society. This study provides an understanding of the significance of leisure for these young people in the context of their small community and illuminates the challenges faced in the process of assimilation. Of relevance from both a theoretical and practical perspective is the importance of sustentation of cultural heritage, including leisure within the traditions of family and the small community.

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