ABSTRACT
Evolutionary playwork is a new and developing discipline. As yet it has no agreed theoretical or practical base. Typically there are any number of conflicting views of what it is and what it is for, some of which differ fundamentally. Some of these views, including those contained within this text, are derived from long-term personal and professional experience and reflection. Others are more political or pragmatic in their orientation. Each of these different views has been influenced by a number of factors:
The ethical base each of us uses to determine what we believe is right or wrong, good or bad, appropriate or inappropriate, and the process by which that base has evolved. For example we might have been taught ethics at school or university. Or perhaps, our ethical judgements have come from an amalgam of life experiences.
The memories and emotions that come to us when we recall playing when we were children. Was playing a good experience, was it fun, was it interesting, did we miss out on bits of experience, did we have experiences we could well have done without? Was our play narrow, structured and full of ‘do not’, or was it a broad experience, where we did more or less what we wanted, and where we took responsibility for whatever happened? Are our memories of playing accompanied by feelings of warmth, worth and amazement, or varying degrees of pain, bewilderment, loss or disconnection?
Our rationale for working with children at play. Is our involvement, and more importantly the interventions we make, driven by our needs or the children’s? By ‘our’ I mean as individual adults and as adult society. Are we engaged in socialisation and citizenship training, or even indoctrination, are we playing out as-yetunplayed childhood material of our own, or are we stepping away from our adult agendas and instead utilising our own life experience as a resource for children? Is our motive more sinister? Are we driven to control, bully or abuse?
The impact that the increasing volume of scientific literature has had upon our perception of play and children. Over the years, and particularly in the past two decades, a great deal has been written about play, about its importance to human development, species survival, personal well-being, self-esteem, sanity and our collective evolution. Some may feel that the scientific findings are irrelevant, too difficult or an attempt to dehumanise play, or professionalise playwork, or mystify and exclude people from it, whilst others may see it as a source of inspiration and confirmation.
