Forming Ethical Identities in Early Childhood Play

Through compelling examples, Brian Edmiston presents the case for why and how adults should play with young children to create with them a 'workshop for life'.In a chapter on 'mythic play' Edmiston confronts adult discomfort over children's play with pretend weapons, as he encourages adults both to support children's desires to experience in imagination the limits of life and death, and to travel with children on their transformational journeys into unknown territory.This book provides researchers and students with a sound theoretical framework for re-conceptualising significant aspects of pretend play in early childhood. Its many practical illustrations make this a compelling and provocative read for any student taking courses in Early Childhood Studies.

‘[This book] is a welcome addition to the literatures on play, moral development, and postmodern theorizing in early childhood education ... It is a terrific example of postmodern scholarship that does not sacrifice complexity for clarify and readability.’ - J. Amos Hatch, University of Tennessee‘This book is designed to provoke thought ... it dislocates itself from traditional approaches and subverts the language of play.’ - Tina Bruce, Roehampton University‘An extraordinary theoretical tour de force.’ - Maureen Kendrick, University of British Columbia"In this thoughtful, stimulating analysis of the ethical dimensions of children’s play, Edmiston argues for the value of mythic play, in which children confront issues of good and evil by enacting heroes and villains of classic and contemporary tales." – CHOICE, September 2008, Vol. 45 No. 11, Forming Ethical Identities in Early Childhood Play is an extraordinary theoretical tour de force that traverses historical, interdisciplinary, and contemporary theories on play, ethics, and pedagogy. By contesting many of the implicit assumptions of the existing theories, Edmiston generates an important new theory and pedagogy for the formation of ethical identities in early childhood, premised on child-adult pretend play interactions. His multilayered analysis of play-interactions with his own son—deftly interwoven with references to classic and contemporary children’s literature and popular culture—are poignant, insightful, and mindful. He invites early childhood teachers, educators, and scholars to participate with children in play as a “workshop for lifeâ€, proposing a viable alternative to dominant moral development and character education theories and pedagogies. Maureen Kendrick, University of British Columbia. Forming Ethical Identities in Early Childhood Play is a welcome addition to the literatures on play, moral development, and postmodern theorizing in early childhood education. In this volume, Brian Edmiston creates a compelling mixture of excerpts from his careful documentation of several years of co-constructed play with his young son, cutting-edge Bakhtinian analysis around the formation of ethical identities, and thoughtful suggestions for those who have the opportunity to participate in the lives of young children. It is a terrific example of postmodern scholarship that does not sacrifice complexity for clarity and readability. J. Amos Hatch, Professor of Education, University of Tennessee