This paper sets out to briefly describe how the ideology of
Anarludichsim has evolved and set the foundation for future papers
and articles to elaborate on this developing ideology. To begin
with, it is worth clarifying what is meant by an ideology. Vincent
(1992) states an ideology:
“Denote the ideas of a political party, a
total metaphysical world-view or human consciousness in
general, encompassing all beliefs, including art and science.”
(p16). |
I am going to add to Vincent’s art and science
the concept of ‘free play(1)’. It has been argued that the term
‘free play’ should be a redundant term and that “play itself be
commonly understood” (Melville 2007: p7). However I believe free
play is its own concept that runs in conjunction with the concept of
play, which is considered to be a biological drive (Hughes 2001) (Sturrock
& Else 1998) and what Bruce (1994) defines as ‘free flow play(2) ’.
The interplay between the child’s play (biological drive) and free
play (the six factors of organization, goals, time, freedom,
spontaneity and choice) results in Bruce’s free flow play and is
shown in the equation below:
Play + Free Play = Free Flow
Play
(King 2005)
Bruce explains that during free flow play the
child “can take the responsibility… is in control, adults do not
need to control” (1994: p191). The notion of the child taking
control of their play, without the need of a controlling adult, has
a strong affinity to the concept of the adult taking control of
their life without the controlling force of any government –
Anarchism.
Anarchism can be divided into seven schools of thought, which
includes: Individual Anarchism (Stirner); Mutalistic Anarchism (Proudhon);
Collectivism (Bakunin) and Anarchist Communism (Kropotkin)
(Woodstock 1962: p17-19). Definitions of Anarchism vary depending on
the school of thought and whose definition you are reading. Within
the various definitions of Anarchism six factors have been
identified (King 2005). These themes are spontaneity, time, goals,
choice, freedom and organsiation. These are the same six factors
that have been identified that make up free play.
Links between Anarchism and children’s play have been made in the
past. In his work on ‘Ideas of Social Organization’ (1876) James
Guillaume stated that up to twelve years of age “children will be
completely free, they themselves will organise their games, their
get-togethers and will establish a panel to oversee their work and
arbitrators to resolve squabbles” (Guérin 1998: p222). More
recently, Ward stated that the adventure playground movement that
arose in the fifties and sixties “were a kind of parable of
anarchy, a free society in miniature” (Ward: 1961, 1973: p92).
The values and beliefs that make up the ideology of Anarchism (six
factors) where adults are taking control of their lives are the same
principles that children have in controlling their free play
(children controlling their six factors). In turn, children
controlling their free play are thus controlling their lives.
Therefore it can be inferred that within an ideology the ‘human
consciousness encompassing all beliefs’ that exist in Anarchism are
linked to those of free play in childhood, i.e. the six factors of
free play.
I offer an ideology of children controlling their lives through
their free play which I have termed ‘Anarludichism’ based on ‘ludic,’
a Latin term which translates as ‘I Play’ (Sturrock 2001) and on
Kropotkin’s definition of Anarchism(3).
Anarludichism:
The theory of a person controlling their free play not by
submission to other people, organisations or society but by
the free agreements concluded between the individual and other
persons that is freely constituted for the sake of
satisfaction of the infinite variety of needs and aspirations
of the playing person
Anarludichist:
A person playing who is in complete control of their free play
and thus controlling their life through free play |
Vincent stated that the ideology of anarchism is around “lives
(mistakenly) in a world of principled ideological dreams, which
cannot be put into practice” (1992 pp18-19). This could also
apply to the proposed ideology of Anarludichism where children’s
control of their six factors of free play, and thus their lives, is
in a power struggle with Adults, Organizations and Society (King
2007). However, observing children playing, often against the
pressure of over-controlling adults, demonstrates that the instinct
to play and control their ‘intent of their play’ is an ideological
reality, which can be, and is often put into practice. Pressure from
society and their aims of children as ‘economic packages for later
life’, and the role organizations and adults play in supporting
societal aims makes the need for Anarludichism to be an ideology
that starts during childhood and continues right through adulthood.
A clear example of Anarludichism from childhood through to adulthood
can be found in Harpo Marx’s autobiography ‘Harpo Speaks” (1961).
Harpo reflects on his humble beginnings to becoming a member in one
of America’s influential social circles during the 1920’s:
| “Basically, the only way I
had changed in twenty years was to move down the East Side
from 93rd Street to 57th Street. I still lived from day to
day, and had fun wherever I could find it. I made no bones
about the fact that I’d rather play games than work. Now, at
last, I had enough time to play, and enough money. I had begun
to pay myself back with interest for everything I’d missed out
on when I was a kid. I wasn’t having a second childhood. It
was my first real childhood. The crazy part of it was, I was
spending it as a member of the Woollcott gang, hanging out
with the brightest and most famous delinquents of the 1920’”. |
(Harpo Marx 1961: pp178-179)
How children control their free play and the
spaces they utilize will be discussed in future papers with
reference to concepts such as the Temporary Autonomous Zone (Bey
1995), Individual Anarchism, Individual Psychology, Environmental
Psychology, Health Psychology. Hopefully this brief paper has
provided a basis to develop the ideology of Anarludichism.
© Play31 Press
(1) “Pure free play is where the individual person (child, young
person or adult) through the interplay of all their powers (body and
mind) has complete internal and external control of the
organisation, goals, time, freedom, spontaneity and choice of their
play” (King, 2005, 2007)
(2) Free Flow Play is the “wallowing in past experiences + technical
prowess, competence, mastery + control acquired” (Bruce: 1997)
(3) Kropotkin’s definition of Anarchism is “A name given to a
principle or theory of life and conduct under which society is
conceived without government-harmony in such a society being
obtained, not by submission to law, or by obedience to any
authority, but by free agreements concluded between the various
groups, territorial and professional, freely constituted for the
sake of production and consumption, as also for the satisfaction of
the infinite variety of needs and aspirations of a civilised being”
(Shatz 1971: pxi)
References:
Bey, H. (1985) T.A.Z the Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological
anarchy, Poetic Terrorism. USA: Autonomedia
Guérin, D. (1988) No Gods No Masters An Anthology of Anarchism Book.
Edinburgh: AK Press
King, P. (2005) Give ‘em enough rope – can free play exist in
children’s play environments where adults are present? M(Res)
dissertation; Leeds Metropolitan University.
King, P.F. (2007) The Free Play Matrix and the CAOS System: The use
of IMEE Process and Tulpa Creation in Qualitative Research of
Children’s Free Play, in Handscomb, B., Russell, W. & Fitzpatrick,
J. (ed) (2007) Playwork Voices: in celebration of Bob Hughes and
Gordon Sturrock, London: London Centre for Playwork Education
Marx, H. (1961) Harpo Speaks, London: Coronet Books
Shatz, M., S. (1971) The Essential Works of Anarchism. New York:
Bantam Books
Sturrock, G. (2003) Towards a psycholudic definition of playwork. In
Brown, F. (ed) (2003) Playwork Theory and Practice. Bucks, OUP
Sturrock, G. and Else, P. (1998) The playground as therapeutic
space: playwork as healing (known as ‘The Colorado Paper’) In: G.
Sturrock and P. Else (2005) Therapeutic Playwork Reader One
Sheffield: Ludemos.
Vincent, A. (1992) Modern Polictcal Ideologies second edition,
Oxford: Blackwell
Ward, C. (1961) Adventure Playground: a parable of anarchy. In:
Ward, C. (ed) Anarchy 7 a journal of anarchist ideas. London:
Freedom Press
Ward, C. (1973) Anarchy in Action. London: Georgy Allen & Unwin
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