Culture in Play: Toys, Games, and Sports

What does play reveal about culture, and how might culture become legible through play? Historically, studies of play have focused on childhood; more recently, academics have turned to the increasing importance of recreational activities and serious leisure among adults. In this course, we consider what toys, games, and sports illuminate about the social worlds that produce and sustain them. How do activities become intelligible as play, and how, in turn, does play become meaningful for participants? Our readings explore a range of examples, from Barbie dolls to board games, from wrestling matches to World of Warcraft, from Olympic nationalism to internet avatars and social constructions of the self. We hone our skills at ethnographic writing and anthropological analysis, culminating in individual research papers examining practices of local, national, and global significance. Throughout the course, participants are encouraged to draw on their broader intellectual interests in many of the field's foundational domains, such as ritual studies and the anthropology of the body, economic and political anthropology, and studies of gender and sexuality, as well as work in philosophy, psychology, and sociology. Cumulatively, our inquiries aim to contribute to longstanding discussions about the defining characteristics of ludic activity and the work of play in shaping individuals and cultures.