Family Events: Practices, Displays and Intimacies

An unprecedented exploration of the intersection of events and family studies, Family Events uses events as a lens through which to explore the concepts of families, family practices, family displays and family intimacies.

Family Events explores the idea that how families come to be and, moreover, come to be defined as ‘families’ relies on events: whether that be via ‘family events’ – those which serve to celebrate being part of ‘my’ family – (e.g., birthdays, weddings, funerals), ‘events experienced as a family’ (e.g., a holiday or day trip) or ‘events which impact families’ (e.g., recession, war, global health emergency). Family Events brings together contributions from the social sciences, leisure and event studies which focus on a variety of different event contexts, including the life cycle, death and illness, sport, holidays, and community and religious festivals.

Family Events offers a multitude of insightful perspectives on the intersection of events and family studies, and is a valuable resource for academics and students with a research interest in events, leisure and the family.

Thomas Fletcher is a Reader in the School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management at Leeds Beckett University. His primary research interests are in equality and diversity, social justice and families within the contexts of sport, leisure and events. He is the author of Negotiating Fatherhood: Sport and Family Practices. Tom was Chair of the Leisure Studies Association between 2017 and 2021.