Playfulness as Decolonial Resistance in Education: Insights from Palestinian Children

• In Event: Reimagining Resistance: Playfulness as Decolonial Praxis in Marginalized Communities

Abstract

This paper explores playfulness as a form of decolonial resistance by examining the play activities of Palestinian children amidst an ongoing genocide. Drawing on María Lugones' work (2003), I show how playfulness serves as a medium for resilience, creativity, and survival in the face of systemic violence and oppression. The objective is to integrate these insights into educational practices that foster critical engagement, creativity, and collective empowerment. This framework will contextualize the broader impacts of colonialism on marginalized communities, specifically focusing on the lived experiences of Palestinian children. Central to this analysis, Lugones’ concept emphasizes the subversive and liberatory potential of playfulness as an attitude rather than a specific activity. Chela Sandoval's (2000) concepts of oppositional consciousness and differential movement will be used to explore how playfulness functions as a strategy of resistance while Gadamer’s emphasis on historical consciousness and the fusion of horizons will inform the interpretation of children's play as a dynamic, contextually situated activity. Finally, Huizinga’s exploration of play as a fundamental cultural phenomenon will provide a backdrop for understanding the broader implications of play in human society. In “Playfulness, ‘World’-Traveling, and Loving Perception,” María Lugones describes playfulness as an attitude characterized by openness to multiple worlds, creativity, flexibility, loving perception, and resistance to colonial logics. Lugones rejects agonistic play centered on contest and competition, instead advocating for a loving attitude necessary for "world"-traveling and boundary-crossing. Playfulness, for Lugones, does not presuppose specific activities but turns any activity into play through an openness to surprise, ambiguity, and self-reconstruction.
As a conceptual paper, this study will employ a qualitative, interpretive approach, synthesizing existing literature, theoretical insights, and visual ethnographic observations. The inquiry will involve: 1- A comprehensive review of works on decolonial theory, Lugones' playfulness, Sandoval's (2000) methodology, Gadamer’s hermeneutics (1983), and Huizinga’s Homo Ludens (1968). 2- Analysis of images and videos depicting Palestinian children playing in the rubble, contextualized within the theoretical frameworks. Integrating insights from decolonial theory, Lugones’ work, Sandoval’s methodology, and Gadamer’s and Huizinga’s perspectives to develop a cohesive argument about the role of playfulness in decolonial resistance.
The primary materials for this study will include images and videos of Palestinian children playing in Gaza amidst an ongoing genocide. Key texts by María Lugones, Chela Sandoval, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Johan Huizinga, and other scholars in decolonial theory and pedagogy will be used to theorize on the images/video. The paper will argue that playfulness, as observed in the actions of Palestinian children, functions as a form of decolonial resistance that 1- subverts oppressive settler structures by creating spaces of autonomy and imagination. 2- fosters community solidarity and collective resilience and 3- serves as a pedagogical practice that nurtures critical consciousness and hope amidst despair. This study contributes to the fields of decolonial studies, education, and critical childhood studies by providing a nuanced understanding of playfulness as a site of resistance and survival. It offers new perspectives on the role of children in resisting and surviving systemic violence, thereby expanding the discourse on decolonial practice.

Author

• Omi Salas-SantaCruz, University of Utah