Forming Ethical Identities in Early Childhood Play (Contesting Early Childhood) - Hardcover

Edmiston, Brian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0415435471 ISBN 13: 9780415435475

Publisher: Routledge, 2008

Synopsis

Through compelling examples, Brian Edmiston presents the case for why and how adults should play with young children to create with them a 'workshop for life'.

In a chapter on 'mythic play' Edmiston confronts adult discomfort over children's play with pretend weapons, as he encourages adults both to support children's desires to experience in imagination the limits of life and death, and to travel with children on their transformational journeys into unknown territory.

This book provides researchers and students with a sound theoretical framework for re-conceptualising significant aspects of pretend play in early childhood. Its many practical illustrations make this a compelling and provocative read for any student taking courses in Early Childhood Studies.

About this title

Review:

‘[This book] is a welcome addition to the literatures on play, moral
development, and postmodern theorizing in early childhood education ... It is a terrific example of postmodern scholarship that does not sacrifice complexity for clarify and readability.’ - J. Amos Hatch, University of Tennessee

‘This book is designed to provoke thought ... it dislocates itself from traditional approaches and subverts the language of play.’ - Tina Bruce, Roehampton University

‘An extraordinary theoretical tour de force.’ - Maureen Kendrick, University of British Columbia

"In this thoughtful, stimulating analysis of the ethical dimensions of children’s play, Edmiston argues for the value of mythic play, in which children confront issues of good and evil by enacting heroes and villains of classic and contemporary tales." – CHOICE, September 2008, Vol. 45 No. 11

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0415435471
• ISBN 13: 9780415435475
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224