Abstract

DELGADO-FUENTES, Marco Antonio. Play, Games, and Toys as Cultural Productions and Implications for Decolonizing their Use: A Historical Review. Rev. latinoam. estud. educ. [online]. 2024, vol.54, n.2, pp.255-277.  Epub June 21, 2024. ISSN 2448-878X.  https://doi.org/10.48102/rlee.2024.54.2.621.

This study analyzes the historical production of play, games and toys in ethnographic studies. A literature review conducted following the PRISMA Statement- identified 68 Spanish, English, French, and Portuguese ethnographic studies from the late 19th century to the present day. Previous historical reviews categorized the ethnographic studies according to their philosophical background. However, this study innovatively uses a post-structural approach that identifies colonizing and, more recently, decolonizing and emancipatory characteristics. Post-structural contributions include exploring play beyond school and childhood, how Western games promote competition and individualism, how industrial toys promote Western values, and how play, games, and toys are also used to reaffirm identities and promote decolonization. The results emphasize the importance of considering the cultural meaning of play and toys, as solely understanding the educational and psychological benefits overlooks, as much previous research has done, the potential colonizing effects.

Keywords : play; toys; ethnography; history; poststructural analysis; decolonial analysis.

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