Brian Sutton-Smith

Brian Sutton-Smith is a play theorist whose 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, festivals, imagination, and nonsense.

Biography

Brian Sutton-Smith in the 70's

Brian Sutton-Smith was born in Wellington, 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 a Fulbright Scholarship, 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.

Dr. Sutton-Smith is the author of some 50 books, the most recent of which is The Ambiguity of Play (1997, Harvard University Press), andsome 350 scholarly articles. 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.

Key Works

• The Sibling (1970)
• The Study of Games (1971)
• Child's Play (1971)
• The Folkgames of Children (1972)
• 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)