Before race: A literature review on de/colonial habits in play within early childhood

Abstract

In this article, we consider the academic literature regarding how racial discrimination is prefigured in societal norms and habits in early learning and childcare in Scotland and England. Specifically, we outline what we see as a salient opportunity to strengthen the existing knowledge base, namely how race and racism are understood in young children’s relational habits and play prior to explicit acts. Leaning on the work of Jones and Okun, the article signals how a broader understanding of coloniality may inform earlier intervention in childhood practice. We conclude by introducing our interest in resurgent Froebelian pedagogies, especially in Scotland where they intersect strongly with national frameworks. We consider their potential affordances for understanding and intervening in childhood colonialities and strengthening childhood decolonialities.