ABSTRACT Authenticity is a recurring theme in discussions about the future of the surf industry and the integrity of its subculture. However, its usage is often vague and inconsistent, largely because the concept remains ill-defined within a surfing context. This study addresses that gap by offering a detailed examination of what constitutes ‘surf authenticity’ and how it applies to surf brands. Drawing on qualitative data from 21 semi-structured interviews, the research develops nuanced definitions of both ‘surf authenticity’ and ‘surf brand authenticity’ and proposes an extension to a widely cited industry mantra to inform practice. The study contributes to the theoretical advancement of Schouten and McAlexander’s ([1995]. “Subcultures of Consumption: An Ethnography of the New Bikers.” Journal of Consumer Research 22 (1): 43–61. https://doi.org/10.1086/209434) subcultures of consumption and Plesa’s ([2023]. “Authenticization: Consuming Commodified Authenticity to Become ‘Authentic’ Subjects.” Theory & Psychology 33 (4): 555–576. https://doi.org/10.1177/09593543231174030) concept of authenticization, while building on existing scholarship around the surf industry. Practically, it offers value to the global surf industry by fostering a clearer, shared understanding of authenticity, enabling more meaningful and productive discourse across the sector.

ABSTRACT This work is a quiet homage to those who came before, especially (Carr, N. 2017. “Re-Thinking the Relation between Leisure and Freedom.” Annals of Leisure Research 20 (2): 137–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/11745398.2016.1206723), whose eloquent framing of ‘freedom from’ and ‘freedom to be’ continues to illuminate the landscapes of leisure and freedom. His vision carved a path through which freedom could be felt not merely as escape or choice, but as a profound human possibility. Almost 10 years have passed since this foundation and we offer the third version, ‘freedom with’, a freedom not in isolation, but in relation. It is a freedom shaped by shared breath, mutual responsibility, and the delicate ethics of co-existence. This paper, then, is not an arrival, but a continuation. Leisure is a right and a responsibility. May this work not conclude, but open space for others to dream anew a thought between leisure and freedom.

ABSTRACT This study explores how sustainability is interpreted and enacted within blue tourism through a reflexive governance lens. Focusing on three island destinations in Vietnam, it applies a novel methodological framework, Reflexive-Ecological Stakeholder Enactment (RESE), to examine how residents, tourists, and businesses engage with ecological disruption, legitimacy claims, and emotional attachment to place. Using Ecological Reflex Mapping (ERM), the study identifies ten interpretive codes, including both elicited and emergent dimensions such as ecological trigger, emotional register, and reflexive shift. Findings show that reflexivity is not only shaped by policy but by lived experience, moral reasoning, and informal governance. Emotional and symbolic ties to marine environments influence how sustainability is recognized, judged, and embodied. The paper advances a more situated understanding of blue economy transitions, highlighting the need for governance models that account for affect, identity, and everyday ethical negotiation in contested coastal spaces.

ABSTRACT The purpose of the paper is to provide a methodological reflection on the use of digital methods (podcasting) with youth in a coproduction study grounded in the key principles of Youth-Led Participatory Action Research. Using podcasts as a means of coproduction provided an accessible way to respectfully identify community members’ collective issues, enabling youth co-researchers to be active participants in storytelling and story-sharing. Six reflexive themes are discussed, each reflecting on the experience of coproducing a podcast within the larger YPAR project, along with the challenges faced and best practices for engaging in coproduction research with youth using a digital medium. This ‘reflexive tale’ highlights important considerations of working alongside equity-seeking youth in coproduced research, advances the current understanding of coproduction processes in leisure research, and the use of digital methods.

ABSTRACT Whale watching contributes to the livelihood of island communities and whale conservation. However, understanding the responsibilities of its operations is important. This paper discusses the persistent challenges in whale watching on the Ryukyu Islands, showcasing a novel context from Japan. In-depth interviews were conducted with the secretary-general and chairperson of three whale-watching associations in the study area. A reflexive thematic analysis, informed by constructive epistemology, critical realist ontology, and combined deductive and inductive methods, was employed to develop themes. Self-regulation provides guidelines for whale watching towards minimal adverse impact on the whales. Intra- and inter-association communication is crucial for maintaining good relationships and resolving conflicts. However, lack of legal power cannot combat external free riders. This study highlights the need for legislation beyond the current self-regulation and ecological education embedded in the tour programme to safeguard the development of and extend the benefits of responsible whale-watching tourism in Japan.

ABSTRACT This qualitative study explores how leisure events can facilitate the creation of new narratives by analysing the case of the Kaya Kaya festival in Otrobanda, Curaçao. Kaya Kaya has played an instrumental role in transforming the dominant narrative of Otrobanda from a stigmatised area, perceived as problematic, to a vibrant, artistic neighbourhood. Through interviews and participatory workshops, including collage making, the study provides a nuanced view of how the event enabled narrative change by engaging the local community and altering physical spaces through murals and other art forms. It also examines the consequences of this narrative shift for the place, community, and individuals. The paper contributes to event studies by applying a narrative approach to understand the social value of events and by demonstrating how they can foster new, positive narratives for neighbourhoods. Ultimately, the study reveals that the new, progressive narrative remains incomplete, as a result of narrative construction.

ABSTRACT This paper describes and analyses how Argentinean amateur sumō practitioners use, renegotiate and resignify this Japanese martial art. For this purpose, we study the reconstructed meaning of the clothing attached to this cultural practice and the factors influencing its constant management. This is descriptive-interpretative research. Data were collected through an 8-month ethnographic fieldwork in Buenos Aires, employing participant observation and semi-structured interviews with key practitioners as the main techniques. The understanding of sumō by the Argentinean practitioners is found within a discursive-performative continuum, ranging from a romanticized idealization of the Japanese style as a role model to a functional adaptation to local social-cultural realities, encompassing inherent contradictions. This continuum is not simply a reflection of individual preferences but rather an outcome of the complex interplay between ‘senses of authenticity’, the processes of ‘productive consumption’ and the dynamics of ‘cultural circularity’.

ABSTRACT This article explores how foreign individuals, engaging in serious leisure pursuits, travel to Bangkok, Thailand, to train in Muay Thai with the intention of turning their passion into a professional career. Living in Thai training Muay Thai camps, these individuals immerse themselves in a cultural environment vastly different from their own. This paper examines the cultural differences encountered by these individuals, the adaptation processes they undergo, and how living and training in such camps contribute to their socio-cultural adaptation and acceptance of Thai cultural norms. Through qualitative methodology adopting semi-structured interviews, this article sheds light on the transformative effects of serious leisure in a foreign cultural context.