Playing in the Name of Life

Biopolitics and the American Play Movement
dc.bibliographicCitation.firstPage33en_US
dc.bibliographicCitation.lastPage50en_US
dc.bibliographicCitation.volume9en_US
dc.contributor.authorBrandes, Lea
dc.contributor.editorBecker, Carlo
dc.contributor.editorBlanchard, Robert C.
dc.contributor.editorEwens, David R.
dc.contributor.editorHabermann, Christin
dc.contributor.editorRabe, Julia
dc.contributor.editorÖzdemir, Elif
dc.date.accessioned2022-10-28T13:01:00Z
dc.date.available2022-10-28T13:01:00Z
dc.date.issued2016en_US
dc.description.abstractThis paper will explore the argumentation made by advocates of the American play movement during the Progressive Era. With reference to Michel Foucault’s concept of biopolitics, this paper will show that the argumentation in favor of playgrounds in America’s urban centers was, in fact, highly (bio)political. Contrary to what one might assume from taking into account the conventional historiography of the Progressive Era, the political endeavors of the American play movement (serving as an example for many other Progressive sociopolitical efforts) were not solely motivated by its advocacy’s charitable character. Analyzed on the basis of the concept of biopolitics, the arguments in favor of public provision of playgrounds will expose the movement’s true colors. These were mainly saturated with white, middle-class ideals concerning the act of play and the effects it had on children as well as on society as a whole. On the one hand, the activists sought to counteract the supposedly chaotic living conditions of urban centers by providing playgrounds for mostly immigrant children. On the other hand, they aimed at disciplining the individual bodies of these children through supervised play in accordance with Progressive ideals so that the children would eventually become productive members of society.en_US
dc.identifier.doi10.54465/aspeers.09-04
dc.identifier.urihttp://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?fidaac-11858/2552
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.relation.issn18658768en_US
dc.relation.journalaspeersen_US
dc.relation.journalaltemerging voices in american studiesen_US
dc.rightsL::CC BY 3.0en_US
dc.subject.ddcddc:370en_US
dc.subject.fieldamericanstudiesen_US
dc.subject.fieldculturalstudiesen_US
dc.subject.fieldsocialscienceen_US
dc.titlePlaying in the Name of Lifeen_US
dc.title.alternativeBiopolitics and the American Play Movementen_US
dc.typearticleen_US
dc.type.versionpublishedVersionen_US
dspace.entity.typePublication
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
aspeers_09-2016_04_Brandes.pdf
Size:
770.36 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
2.75 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description: