Overview
- Follows years of research and practice in emerging area of Ludic Studies and provides a necessary interdisciplinary road map to this relatively under-researched field
- Explores Ludics across disciplines, domains, and histories in order to tease out connections that have been previously unexplored or under-appreciated
- Provides both a critical perspective, building off of literature in Media Studies, Game Studies, Communications, Human Computer Interaction, and Civic Engagement, and an interventionist perspective, providing practical design insights for practitioners
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Table of contents (21 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Playspace, Ethics & Engagement
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Front Matter
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Playthings, Comedy & Laughter
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Front Matter
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Keywords
About this book
This book establishes play as a mode of humanistic inquiry with a profound effect on art, culture and society. Play is treated as a dynamic and relational modality where relationships of all kinds are forged and inquisitive interdisciplinary engagement is embraced. Play cultivates reflection, connection, and creativity, offering new epistemological directions for the humanities. With examples from a range of disciplines including poetry, history, science, religion and media, this book treats play as an object of inquiry, but also as a mode of inquiry. The chapters, each focusing on a specific cultural phenomenon, do not simply put culture on display, they put culture in play, providing a playful lens through which to see the world. The reader is encouraged to read the chapters in this book out of order, allowing constructive collision between ideas, moments in history, and theoretical perspectives. The act of reading this book, like the project of the humanities itself, should be emergent, generative, and playful.
Reviews
“It would be of greatest interest to scholars who specialize in the intellectual foundation of play and games. However, it would also be of interest to planners, designers, and developers of video games and information systems, to broaden their understanding of their craft and how it fits into the larger culture.” (J. M. Artz, Computing Reviews, January 4, 2022) “Ludics: Play as Humanist Inquiry is a valuable resource, re-centering play as essential to the humanities. Working through a bracingly diverse set of examples, the contributors put flesh on co-editor Eric Gordon’s concept of meaningful inefficiencies—the ways in which understanding, inspiration and learning all arise through the messy process of play. Where play and work are often portrayed as being in opposition, this volume illustrates how meaning is often made through playfulness in the work of scholars, philosophers, and artists. In recent decades, corporatist models of productivity in the academy have too often lead to a diminished role for humanistic study. This book is a cogent argument for humanities reinvigorated through a return to their playful roots. At a time when all institutions of learning are undergoing dramatic transformation, this volume is a vital tool for those of us trying to imagine a better future.” (Scot Osterweil, Game Designer, Research Scientist, MIT)
“This passionate volume invites us to see play at the center of the humanities. We can find it in the connections we make between ideas and with each other, both within and across disciplines. And we find it here on full display: leading scholars from an impressive cross-section of disciplines from Classics to Computer Game Research, Architecture to Archaeology, Religious Studies, Comparative Literature, Philosophy, and many more—as well as practicing poets, performers, and artists—all exploring ludic topics from the angle of their own scholarly interests. What emerges from the individual essays and the many connections between them is not only a rich source of scholarship about play, but a vision of play at the creative heart of scholarly endeavor.” (Stephen E Kidd, Associate Professor of Classics, Brown University)
“This passionate volume invites us to see play at the center of the humanities. We can find it in the connections we make between ideas and with each other, both within and across disciplines. And we find it here on full display: leading scholars from an impressive cross-section of disciplines from Classics to Computer Game Research, Architecture to Archaeology, Religious Studies, Comparative Literature, Philosophy, and many more—as well as practicing poets, performers, and artists—all exploring ludic topics from the angle of their own scholarly interests. What emerges from the individual essays and the many connections between them is not only a rich source of scholarship about play, but a vision of play at the creative heart of scholarly endeavor.” (Stephen E Kidd, Associate Professor of Classics, Brown University)
Editors and Affiliations
About the editors
Vassiliki Rapti and Eric Gordon are Co-chairs of the Ludics Seminar, Mahindra Humanities Center, Harvard University.
Vassiliki Rapti holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature. She is the author of Ludics in Surrealist Theatre and Beyond (2013) and of several volumes of translations and poetry collections.
Eric Gordon is professor of civic design and the director of the Engagement Lab at Emerson College in Boston. He is the author of The Urban Spectator (2010), Net Locality: Why Location Matters in a Networked World (2011) and Meaningful Inefficiencies: Civic Design in an Age of Digital Expediency (2020).
Vassiliki Rapti holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature. She is the author of Ludics in Surrealist Theatre and Beyond (2013) and of several volumes of translations and poetry collections.
Eric Gordon is professor of civic design and the director of the Engagement Lab at Emerson College in Boston. He is the author of The Urban Spectator (2010), Net Locality: Why Location Matters in a Networked World (2011) and Meaningful Inefficiencies: Civic Design in an Age of Digital Expediency (2020).
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Ludics
Book Subtitle: Play as Humanistic Inquiry
Editors: Vassiliki Rapti, Eric Gordon
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7435-1
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Singapore
eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2021
Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-15-7434-4Published: 12 January 2021
Softcover ISBN: 978-981-15-7437-5Published: 12 January 2022
eBook ISBN: 978-981-15-7435-1Published: 11 January 2021
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXV, 470
Number of Illustrations: 30 b/w illustrations, 30 illustrations in colour
Topics: Cultural Anthropology, Media Studies, Media Design, User Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction