The universality of children’s play crosses times, places and cultures — and histories of play offer unique perspectives on children and their worlds, and the wider societies they inhabit. This special issue examines the histories of play across historical periods, exploring (but not limited) to such topics as:
- continuity and change in children’s play and playlore
- histories of the material and oral cultures of play
- the economies and consumption of games, toys and play ‘things’
- the spaces and environments of play in historical context
- documenting histories of play through visual, oral and other sources
- transnational and comparative histories of games and playlore
- remembering play: nostalgia, ‘kidults’ and memorialisation
- children’s voices in the history of play
The guest editors of the Histories of Play special issue (no. 3 in 2016, appearing in December) are Kate Darian-Smith (University of Melbourne) and Simon Sleight (King’s College London). Potential contributors are invited to send an abstract of 300 words to the editors by 1 November 2015 in the first instance.
Full papers of up to 7,000 words, which will go through a blind peer-review process prior to publication, need to be submitted by 1 April 2016. Suggestions for shorter pieces of up to 2,500 words on historical archives and cultural collections relating to the histories of play are also welcome.
Please check the International Journal of Play (Taylor and Francis Online) website for details on the journal and regarding presentation of material:
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rijp20/current#.VZINnvmqpBc
Email contact for further information, enquiries and to submit abstracts:
- Kate Darian-Smith: k.darian-smith@unimelb.edu.au
- Simon Sleight: simon.sleight@kcl.ac.uk