Journal of East China Normal University (Philosoph ›› 2012, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (2): 44-49.

• 现代性研究 • Previous Articles     Next Articles

A Reconsideration of the Consumed Leisure
——A Reflection on Baudrillard’s Critique of Leisure

PAN Hai-Ying   

  • Online:2012-03-15 Published:2012-03-29
  • Contact: PAN Hai-Ying
  • About author: PAN Hai-Ying

Abstract: Baudrillard’s leisure critique is based on the system of matter and consuming society. The substance of his critique focuses on leisure alienation. In consuming society, leisure is totally restrained and controlled, while the leisure people’s mentality is reconstructed. They are deprived of their subjectivity. His theory should be questioned. Are labor and leisure one and the same? Can leisure be authentic? And leisure people are manipulated or antimanipulation? It is just alienation in work that makes man separated from his development and makes work separated from man’s free creation. Leisure and work are contradictory and united. Therefore, leisure should be broken with alienation in work. It should be regressed to and merged together with daily life. In ideal society, leisure will be united with work on the dimension of freedom. The conclusion is: on the one hand leisure is in danger of being consumed because in consumerist society the possibility of leisure dissimilation is fortified; on the other hand leisure is just an alien force of consuming society and a weapon to change people’s alienation fate. The people can realize their antialienation by leisure activities.