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Phenomenology of Play
Series: - Studies in Contemporary Phenomenology, Volume: 31
Author:
Traditional theories of play have either reduced it to an unreal, unusual activity akin to religious rituals or art, or to preparatory, simulated learning behavior for real social activities involving competition and rules. However, play is a unique way of living and acting in the midst of real life, just like sleeping, eating, or working. What distinguishes the structure of play—hide-and-seek, seesaws, toys, make-believe—from the structure of projects—magic rituals, tools, theater, sports? This book offers a unique theory of play, developing this question from a bodily perspective.
Kiyokazu Nishimura is Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo. He studied aesthetics at the University of Tokyo, the University of Munich, and Columbia University. He has published monographs and articles on the aesthetics of fiction, environmental aesthetics, and Japanese art theory.
Contents
Foreword to the Revised English Edition
Preface
1 Scope of the Question
1 Discovery of Play
2 Toward a Phenomenology of Play
3 Playful Movement and Space
4 The Middle Voice in Play
2 Ancestral Forms of Play
1 Suspension of Expectation: Rattling
2 Framework of Play: ‘Peek-a-Boo’
3 Contrived Midair: Swings
4 The Paradox of “Voluptuous Panic”
3 Phenomenology of Hide-and-Seek
1 Genealogy of Demons
2 The Unconscious of the Game of Tag
3 Initiation into Play
4 The Playful Gaze
5 Coquetry and Irony
6 Exchange Game: Hana-Ichimonme
4 Ontology of Toys
1 Training of a Top
2 Tools: Hand’s Project
3 Toys: Hand’s Play
4 Simulation, Substitution, Symbol
5 Magical Tools: Adventures in Masks
6 Playing with Masks
5 Pitfalls of Appearance Theory
1 The Antinomy of ‘Pseudo-Existence’
2 The Duality of Pretending Consciousness
3 The “Double Bind” Situation
4 Aesthetic Metacommunication
6 Structure of Make-Believe
1 The Rules of Make-Believe
2 Puppets and Actors
3 Understanding Others
4 Aporia of ‘World Theater’
5 The Dramaturgy of Bullying
6 Toys and Works
7 Concept of Rules
1 The Ethos of Play
2 Language Games
3 Legal Rules
4 Fair Play
5 Sport
8 Wager and Fortuna
1 Wager of Existence
2 Playing with Fortuna
Bibliography
Index
Foreword to the Revised English Edition
Preface
1 Scope of the Question
1 Discovery of Play
2 Toward a Phenomenology of Play
3 Playful Movement and Space
4 The Middle Voice in Play
2 Ancestral Forms of Play
1 Suspension of Expectation: Rattling
2 Framework of Play: ‘Peek-a-Boo’
3 Contrived Midair: Swings
4 The Paradox of “Voluptuous Panic”
3 Phenomenology of Hide-and-Seek
1 Genealogy of Demons
2 The Unconscious of the Game of Tag
3 Initiation into Play
4 The Playful Gaze
5 Coquetry and Irony
6 Exchange Game: Hana-Ichimonme
4 Ontology of Toys
1 Training of a Top
2 Tools: Hand’s Project
3 Toys: Hand’s Play
4 Simulation, Substitution, Symbol
5 Magical Tools: Adventures in Masks
6 Playing with Masks
5 Pitfalls of Appearance Theory
1 The Antinomy of ‘Pseudo-Existence’
2 The Duality of Pretending Consciousness
3 The “Double Bind” Situation
4 Aesthetic Metacommunication
6 Structure of Make-Believe
1 The Rules of Make-Believe
2 Puppets and Actors
3 Understanding Others
4 Aporia of ‘World Theater’
5 The Dramaturgy of Bullying
6 Toys and Works
7 Concept of Rules
1 The Ethos of Play
2 Language Games
3 Legal Rules
4 Fair Play
5 Sport
8 Wager and Fortuna
1 Wager of Existence
2 Playing with Fortuna
Bibliography
Index
This book is of interest to students and researchers in philosophy and aesthetics, as well as to general readers curious on the subject and theme of ‘play’. The theme of 'play’ has been discussed not only in philosophy and aesthetics, but also in a wide range of fields such as pedagogy, psychology, sociology, and cultural anthropology.