Sophie, would you add to agency the further attribute of "identity" as emerging out of the contradictions/negotiations of the play actitivy and its attendant tensions?
phillip
-----Original Message-----
From: Sophie Alcock [mailto:Sophie.Alcock@vuw.ac.nz]
Sent: Thu 9/23/2004 2:19 PM
To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
Subject: RE: michal roth's intro; four contradictions and children's play
Yes, thank you Michael and Mike and Steve. Children being playful do seem to grapple with being "in control" when being playful. It is as if agency (group and individual agency) emerges out of the contradictions (including the negotiations) of the play activity and the tensions that children feel in the contradictions sustain their ever-changing activity.
Yes, Michael R This is, at heart, about empowerment (emotional stuff).
I do think young children's word play is particularly interesting when one considers words as expressions and extensions of the body-mind, and as tools for increasing "action potential".
A methodological challenge, yes, and their is a danger in over categorising and getting stuck in the contradictions, so perhaps it's more useful to retain a focus on the goal formation, which is my interpretation, as you hint at Mike.
Sophie
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