Fatalism and leisure in Nepal

Scholars have identified the need to study cases of leisure from wider social and political contexts so that existing Western perspectives on leisure theories can be challenged. This study responds to that need by exploring the sociological factors that inform the conception and practice of leisure in Nepal. This exploratory study applies the qualitative method and data is collected through in-depth interviews of the purposely selected samples of 25 individuals at three leisure sites in Nepal. The study finds that the Nepali concept of leisure is strongly informed by the belief in fatalism, where there is limited individual agency or free will, and that social time rather than free time is central to this concept. The findings suggest the existence of a new ontology of leisure and identifies the need for more critical debates on the cross-cultural comparisons of leisure.