Play as activism? Early childhood and (inter)generational politics

Abstract

Both young children and imaginative play are often considered to be fundamentally apolitical. Such views have been increasingly challenged, however, as both 'the political' and activism are being reconceptualised in more expansive ways. In seeking to critically build upon these efforts, I draw on ethnographic data generated in an early years setting in a super-diverse low-income community in London to highlight the space of imaginative play as a resonant site for investigations of the political. However, whether or not something is considered a 'political' matter is a political struggle in itself, and one that players may neither desire nor achieve. I make a case for both distinguishing between play and activism, and considering ways to foster connections between them. Imaginative play has the potential to enrich an intergenerational politics where adults and children engage together for a more just future.

Learning to Listen: Exploring the Idioms of Childhood

“…Contemporary discourses of childhood play occupy an ambiguous position in research and practice. Socio-cognitive and developmental understandings of play in early years and primary school settings continue to dominate: children play in order to learn, to develop, and to explore roles, leading to critiques that play serves an instrumental role in the service of neoliberal social order (Rosen, 2017). Play also occupies a counter discourse of resistance such as that found in 'the Maker movement': 'the hands-on building of things to boost imaginative learning' (Cook, 2016: 4).…”

“…The emphasis on play has been further critiqued (Ailwood, 2003) as creating and/or reinforcing generational divisions between adults and children, and younger and older children, by using age as a device for organising space, time, and relationships. Moreover, the playing child is often considered to be 'the ideal child' (Cook, 2016: 5) in its creativity and rejection of order, an approach that leaves little room for exploring silences and omissions around children's play (Rosen, 2017).…”