“Having fun must be a part of our lives too”: An exploration of leisure in the liminal context of young refugees in Jakarta, Indonesia

This research wishes to comprehend the notion of how young refugees spend their abundant waiting time in Jakarta with leisure activities. By setting this research under the concept of liminality, I also examine how they perceive the meaning of these leisure activities in facing numerous socio-economic challenges they experience. Further, I discuss more the policy and program perspective related to leisure, provided by some stakeholders. In the end, by using the critical ethnographic approach, this study attempts to draw together some perspective in comprehending the notion of leisure for these young refugees and explore the diverse form of their leisure activities, while at the same time dealing with the unexplored perspectives of these youths. These young refugees’ perspectives are analyzed by using some concepts varied from social navigation, identity, and gender. The results of this research narrate the notion of freedom to choose leisure activities, companions, locations, and funding resources, which are much more complex and complicated, let alone within their liminal context as refugees. It also tells us that their leisure activities can be meaningful to structuralize, navigate and contribute some positive aspects to their liminal lives.