Future of Play Theory

Anthony D. Pellegrini is Professor of Early Education at the University of Georgia. He is the author of School Recess and Playground Behavior: Educational and Developmental Roles, also published by SUNY Press, and the editor of the SUNY series, Children's Play in Society.

"Brian Sutton-Smith is the philosopher's philosopher in the area of play, culture, and development. He is an inspirational and tireless leader and has been for quite some time now. This book will serve us well as we continue to grapple with this most complex of phenomenon. The book is extremely rich in empirical integrations, interesting hypotheses, and speculative musings that will keep researchers across a variety of disciplines challenged for years to come." — James E. Johnson, The Pennsylvania State University

• IntroductionAnthony D. Pellegrini Part I: Play As Progress 1. Play, Ethology, and Education: A Personal AccountPeter K. Smith 2. Animal Play, Games of Angels, Biology, and BrianRobert Fagen 3. Children's Play and Adult LeisureGarry Chick and Lynn A. Barnett Part II: Play as Power 4. Competitive Play on the Plains: An Analysis of Games and Warfare Among Native American Warrior Societies, 1800-1850John W. Loy and Graham L. Hesketh 5. Boys' Rough-and-Tumble Play and Social Competence: Contemporaneous and Longitudinal RelationsAnthony D. Pellegrini 6. Aggressive Toy PlayJeffrey Goldstein Part III: Play as Fantasy 7. Toys and StoriesGreta G. Fein 8. The Promotion and Marketing of Toys: Time to Rethink the Paradox?Stephen Kline 9. Imaginative Play in Childhood: Precursor of Subjunctive Thoughts, Daydreaming, and Adult Pretending GamesJerome L. Singer 10. Social Pretend with Mother and Sibling: Individual Differences and Social Understanding Lisa M. Youngblade and Judy Dunn Part IV: Play as Self 11. Representing Children's Play: Anthropologists at WorkHelen B. Schwartzman 12. Past Play: Relics, Memory, and HistoryBernard Mergen Conclusion: The Persuasive Rhetorics of PlayBrian Sutton-Smith Appendix: A List of Brian Sutton-Smith's Play-Related PublicationsF.F. McMahon