Brian Sutton-Smith
Encyclopedia
Brian Sutton-Smith is a play theorist who has spent his lifetime attempting to discover the cultural significance of play
in human life, arguing that any useful definition of play must apply to both adult
s and children. He demonstrates that children are not innocent in their play and that adults are indeed guilty in theirs. In both cases play pretends to assist them in surmounting their Darwinian
struggles for survival. His forthcoming book is entitled Play As Emotional Survival, which is a response to his own deconstruction of play theories in his work, The Ambiguity of Play (1997, Harvard University Press
).
Sutton-Smith's interdisciplinary approach has included research into play history and cross cultural studies of play, as well as research in psychology
, education
, and folklore
. He has maintained that the interpretation of play must involve all of its forms, from child's play to gambling
, sports, festival
s, imagination
, and nonsense
.
, New Zealand
in 1924. He trained as a teacher, completed a BA and MA, and was then awarded the first Education PhD in New Zealand
in 1954. Following the completion of his PhD, Sutton-Smith travelled to the USA on grant from the Fulbright Program
, where he began an academic career with a focus on children's games, adult games, children's play, children's drama, films and narratives, as well as children's gender issues and sibling position.
Sutton-Smith is the author of some 50 books, the most recent of which is The Ambiguity of Play, and some 350 scholarly articles. He has been the President of The Anthropological Association for the Study of Play and of The American Psychological Association, Division 10 (Psychology and the Arts). As a founder of the Children's Folklore Society he has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Folklore Society. For his research in toys he has received awards from the BRIO
and Lego
toy companies of Sweden
and Denmark
. He has participated in making television programs on toys and play in Great Britain
, Canada
, and the U.S.
, and has been a consultant for Captain Kangaroo
, Nickelodeon
, Murdoch Children's Television, and the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia.
His academic life consisted of 10 years at Bowling Green State University
, Ohio, 10 years at Teachers College, Columbia University
in New York
, and 17 years at the University of Pennsylvania
. He is now retired and lives in Sarasota, Florida
.
Sutton-Smith has recently been engaged as resident scholar at the The Strong
in Rochester, New York
, home to the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play.
In addition, the New Zealand Association for Research in Education
has created the Sutton-Smith Doctoral Award, which will be awarded annually for an excellent Doctoral thesis by an NZARE member.
in the 1930s, entitled Our Street, Smitty Does A Bunk, and The Cobbers. Initially published in serial form in 1949 in the New Zealand School Journal, the stories created a national furor as Brian Sutton-Smith allegedly endorsed morally unacceptable behavior in them.
Play (activity)
Play is a term employed in ethology and psychology to describe to a range of voluntary, intrinsically motivated activities normally associated with pleasure and enjoyment...
in human life, arguing that any useful definition of play must apply to both adult
Adult
An adult is a human being or living organism that is of relatively mature age, typically associated with sexual maturity and the attainment of reproductive age....
s and children. He demonstrates that children are not innocent in their play and that adults are indeed guilty in theirs. In both cases play pretends to assist them in surmounting their Darwinian
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
struggles for survival. His forthcoming book is entitled Play As Emotional Survival, which is a response to his own deconstruction of play theories in his work, The Ambiguity of Play (1997, Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
).
Sutton-Smith's interdisciplinary approach has included research into play history and cross cultural studies of play, as well as research in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, and folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
. He has maintained that the interpretation of play must involve all of its forms, from child's play to gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
, sports, festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
s, imagination
Imagination
Imagination, also called the faculty of imagining, is the ability of forming mental images, sensations and concepts, in a moment when they are not perceived through sight, hearing or other senses...
, and nonsense
Nonsense
Nonsense is a communication, via speech, writing, or any other symbolic system, that lacks any coherent meaning. Sometimes in ordinary usage, nonsense is synonymous with absurdity or the ridiculous...
.
Biography
Brian Sutton-Smith was born in WellingtonWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1924. He trained as a teacher, completed a BA and MA, and was then awarded the first Education PhD in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1954. Following the completion of his PhD, Sutton-Smith travelled to the USA on grant from the Fulbright Program
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
, where he began an academic career with a focus on children's games, adult games, children's play, children's drama, films and narratives, as well as children's gender issues and sibling position.
Sutton-Smith is the author of some 50 books, the most recent of which is The Ambiguity of Play, and some 350 scholarly articles. He has been the President of The Anthropological Association for the Study of Play and of The American Psychological Association, Division 10 (Psychology and the Arts). As a founder of the Children's Folklore Society he has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Folklore Society. For his research in toys he has received awards from the BRIO
BRIO
BRIO is a wooden toy company founded in Sweden. The company was founded in the small town of Boalt, Scania in 1884 by basket maker Ivar Bengtsson For a long time the company was based in Osby, Scania, in southern Sweden. In 1908 Ivar's three sons took over and founded BRIO, which is an acronym for...
and Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
toy companies of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. He has participated in making television programs on toys and play in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and has been a consultant for Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo is a children's television series which aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for nearly 30 years, from October 3, 1955 until December 8, 1984, making it the longest-running children's television program of its day...
, Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
, Murdoch Children's Television, and the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia.
His academic life consisted of 10 years at Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
, Ohio, 10 years at Teachers College, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and 17 years at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. He is now retired and lives in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
.
Sutton-Smith has recently been engaged as resident scholar at the The Strong
The Strong
The Strong is an interactive, collections-based educational institution in Rochester, New York, USA, devoted to the study and exploration of play...
in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, home to the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play.
In addition, the New Zealand Association for Research in Education
New Zealand Association for Research in Education
New Zealand Association for Research in Education wasestablished in December 1979 and its membership consists of individuals and organisations with an interest in educational research...
has created the Sutton-Smith Doctoral Award, which will be awarded annually for an excellent Doctoral thesis by an NZARE member.
Key Works
- The Sibling (1970)
- The Study of Games (1971)
- Child's Play (1971)
- The Folkgames of Children (1972)
- How to Play with Your Children (1974)
- Play and Learning (1979)
- The Folkstories of Children (1981)
- A History of Children's Play (1981)
- Toys and Culture (1986)
- Play and Intervention (1994)
- Children's Folklore Source Book (1995)
- The Ambiguity of Play (1997)
Works of Fiction
Sutton-Smith is also the author of a series of novels about boys growing up in New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in the 1930s, entitled Our Street, Smitty Does A Bunk, and The Cobbers. Initially published in serial form in 1949 in the New Zealand School Journal, the stories created a national furor as Brian Sutton-Smith allegedly endorsed morally unacceptable behavior in them.
Links
- Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York
- Harvard University Press