RECREATION AND WAR: CONSTRAINTS, ADAPTATION, AND THE CONTINUITY OF EVERYDAY LIFE
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Abstract
War and armed conflict disrupt civilian life and restrict opportunities for recreation, while knowledge concerning recreational constraints, experiences, and the continuity of everyday life remains fragmented across disciplines. This scholarly article aims to examine changes in recreational conditions, opportunities, and experiences under war; critically synthesize the role of recreation in adaptation and the continuity of everyday life; develop an integrative conceptual framework; and propose applications in the Thai context. An integrative literature review and conceptual synthesis were used to compare findings, evidentiary limits, and differences in experience, separating evidence from the authors’ interpretation. The synthesis identifies objectively assessed danger, perceived risk, cumulative deprivation, and power over activity decisions as conditions governing opportunities for recreational choice and participation. Some groups adapt activities, while others discontinue participation or lose access altogether. Participation may be associated with supportive, uncertain or context-dependent, and adverse outcomes. Based on these insights, the authors propose a five-component framework of “recreation as a mechanism of existence,” connecting war-related constraints, opportunities for choice and access, activity adaptation, quality of recreational experience, and continuity of everyday life. The latter encompasses routines, meaning in life, identity, social relationships, and a partial sense of agency. The article also introduces meaningful micro-recreation and develops four testable theoretical propositions. Applications for Thai border communities emphasize safety, community participation in decision-making, local cultural resources, defined roles for agencies and community networks, and evaluation of both participants’ and non-participants’ experiences. The proposed framework remains empirically untested and does not establish causal relationships.
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