TITLE:
Leisure among the Retired Indos of the Hague
AUTHORS:
Henny N. Edelman, David J. Edelman
KEYWORDS:
Leisure and the Immigrant Elderly, Indos in Retirement, Europe and Its Aging Ethnic Immigrants
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Applied Sociology,
Vol.1 No.1,
December
28,
2011
ABSTRACT: The ethnic mixture in Europe has been changing rapidly since the end of World War II, and many of these immigrant groups are now reaching retirement. The Netherlands is one of the countries affected in this way. This study focuses on mixed race people (Indos) originating in the former Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and residing in The Hague and its surrounding area. Their situation is relevant to other immigrant groups in other European countries. There are several important issues that are studied here with regard to their leisure from which a typology of Indo leisure lifestyles is developed. These issues include :1) how this group is able to avail itself of leisure activities with which its members feel comfortable during retirement and old age; 2) whether this group has integrated itself completely into the host society and feels happy in its social life; 3) whether the leisure activities of retired Indos are a way for them to keep healthy mentally and physically, thereby leading to satisfaction with life; and 4) how this particular group of people feels about its unique identity and culture after many years of living in the Netherlands.