{"title":"Children, Play, and Learning Tasks: From North African Clay Toys to Neolithic Figurines","authors":"Argyris Fassoulas, J. Rossie, H. Procopiou","doi":"10.1080/19442890.2020.1734281","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Long-term ethnographic research in the region of Tiznit in Morocco enabled us to reconstruct the different stages of manufacture of children's clay toys, from the selection of the raw material to shaping, firing, use and discard. Making toys and playing with them are two inseparable activities, essential for learning everyday tasks. From this perspective, we consider Neolithic figurines and clay utensils and their potential role in children's playful learning, addressing often neglected assumptions. This ethnoarchaeological approach, rather than suggesting a utilitarian equivalency between form and function, helps us to consider the importance of play and playfulness in the development of know-how, a sense of mastery, and a savoir vivre.","PeriodicalId":42668,"journal":{"name":"Ethnoarchaeology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2020-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"7","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Ethnoarchaeology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19442890.2020.1734281","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"0","JCRName":"ARCHAEOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 7
Abstract
ABSTRACT Long-term ethnographic research in the region of Tiznit in Morocco enabled us to reconstruct the different stages of manufacture of children's clay toys, from the selection of the raw material to shaping, firing, use and discard. Making toys and playing with them are two inseparable activities, essential for learning everyday tasks. From this perspective, we consider Neolithic figurines and clay utensils and their potential role in children's playful learning, addressing often neglected assumptions. This ethnoarchaeological approach, rather than suggesting a utilitarian equivalency between form and function, helps us to consider the importance of play and playfulness in the development of know-how, a sense of mastery, and a savoir vivre.
期刊介绍:
Ethnoarchaeology, a cross-cultural peer-reviewed journal, focuses on the present position, impact of, and future prospects of ethnoarchaeological and experimental studies approaches to anthropological research. The primary goal of this journal is to provide practitioners with an intellectual platform to showcase and appraise current research and theoretical and methodological directions for the 21st century. Although there has been an exponential increase in ethnoarchaeological and experimental research in the past thirty years, there is little that unifies or defines our subdiscipline. Ethnoarchaeology addresses this need, exploring what distinguishes ethnoarchaeological and experimental approaches, what methods connect practitioners, and what unique suite of research attributes we contribute to the better understanding of the human condition. In addition to research articles, the journal publishes book and other media reviews, periodic theme issues, and position statements by noted scholars.