At first sight, including the work of Weber in a handbook on leisure theory seems rather odd as his work is mainly concerned with the domains of religion and work. Unsurprisingly, the term ‘leisure’ is never mentioned in his 1400+ page magnus opus Economy and Society. Yet, his work in both domains has greatly influenced leisure studies. Below we will discuss:
1) the Protestant Ethic and the absence of leisure, focusing on the relationship between religion and consumption,
2) bureaucracy and rationalization of leisure, discussing McDonaldization and re-enchantment, and
3) social inequality and leisure: class, status, party, discussing how status – vis-à-vis class –matters for lifestyle studies.
Each section consists of a discussion of Weber’s theories on the topic, followed by a description of how his ideas have affected recent leisure studies. Finally, we will provide some suggestions for further research in the conclusion.