Understanding the leisure experiences of a minority ethnic group: South Asian teens and young adults in Canada

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 et hnic minority immigrants to Canada. Its focus was twofold: (a) to explore l eisure in their daily lives, its contribution to their sense of identity, a nd the role leisure played as these young people tried to balance both Cana dian society and their own cultural traditions, and (b) to consider how the ir leisure may have been shaped by such factors as the values and beliefs o f their own family members. The young adults were South Asian Canadians who se parents had immigrated to Canada. Findings indicated that as individuals within the minority ethnic culture move from their traditional "small comm unity" toward the "greater society" of the dominant culture, some degree of dissonance and conflict emerged. Although family remained a valued and cen tral aspect of the study participants' lives, conflict emerged within some families as the participants began the process of assimilation and attempte d to balance involvement in traditional small community with leisure that i s typically pursued by young adults in the greater society. This study prov ides an understanding of the significance of leisure for these young people in the context of their small community and illuminates the challenges fac ed in the process of assimilation. Of relevance from both a theoretical and practical perspective is the importance of sustentation of cultural herita ge, including leisure within the traditions of family and the small communi ty.