Play in Philosophy and Social Thought

To understand play, we need a phenomenology of play. Yet what is it that plays us, when we play? Exploring topics such as identity, otherness, disability, dance and word play, this fascinating and interdisciplinary study continues the work of the late Henning Eichberg and sheds new light on philosophy, anthropology and the sociology of sport.

Henning Eichberg was a Historian, Cultural Sociologist, and Philosopher. As Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern Denmark, he worked in the Centre for Sports, Health and Civil Society at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics. Signe Højbjerre Larsen is Associate Professor at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics at the University of Southern Denmark. Her research focus is on parkour, play, body culture, lifestyle sports, sociology and philosophy of sport.

Introduction: If the game plays the player..., Part I: Play and Identity, 1. Laughter of the Pygmies on the racetrack, 1904. Making the "others" play, 2. Gliding body - sitting body. Playing we-identity and religion, 3. Mass plays and social movements. Playing social identity, Part II: Play and Un-normal Normality, 4. Dancing joy and dancing mania - rhythmic possession, 5. Moving and playing with disability - and what is normal?, Part III: Play and Craft, 6. Parkour - between craftsmanship and playfulness, Part IV: Critical method: The Study of Play and the Play of Study, 7. Do we need a definition of play? Re-encounter with philosophies of games, 8. Towards a comparative phenomenology of play, 9. Play, games, sport, production. The study of configurations, 10. Play with words, play with numbers. About academic games, Part V: ... and play down here, 11. Nisser - the playful small people of Denmark, 12. The nose - a playground in the midst of the human face, Conclusion: The playful human being - a challenge to philosophical anthropology