Description
Book Synopsis"There's nothing really fun about the park in winter!" - Christina Ergler is the first one to explore why "play" resonates differently across urban localities and seasons. She draws on Bourdieu's theory of practice and Gibson's affordance theory to show that determinants of seasonal outdoor play transcend modifiable barriers such as traffic and unsuitable play spaces as well as the inevitable issue of inclement weather. In contrast, seasonal play determinants are grounded in locally constituted beliefs about what is seasonally "appropriate" children's activity. To foster a healthier and more sustainable life for children, outdoor play needs to become convenient all-year-round in all locations.
Table of ContentsPrologue; 'Playing around' with children's outdoor play; 'Obesogenic landscapes' in children's geographies: mapping key debates and perspectives; A conceptual framework for understanding children's seasonal outdoor play: Bourdieu and affordances; 'Methodological principles': a Bourdieusian approach to unpack outdoor play; The research practice: procedural principles; Locating Auckland Central and Beach Haven; The social history of play: Auckland a city of managed childhood?; The inhabitation of Auckland Central and Beach Haven: a parental pursuit; 'Profits of localisation' for outdoor play in Auckland Central and Beach Haven; Spaces of points of view: the logics of outdoor play in summer and winter; Struggles in the 'field of play': five insights into understanding and explaining 'obesogenic landscapes'; Closing, refurbishing and re-opening the 'playgrounds' of 'obesogenic landscapes'; References.
