Reimagining Resistance: Playfulness as Decolonial Praxis in Marginalized Communities

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This session explores the role of playfulness as a form of decolonial resistance across various marginalized communities. Drawing on María Lugones' concept of "playfulness" and "world"-traveling, the presenters examine how playful attitudes and practices foster resilience, critique systemic oppression, and envision new possibilities for collective empowerment. The papers cover diverse contexts, including Palestinian children in conflict zones, young students in after school programs, communal sports spaces in gentrifying neighborhoods, and undocumented Latinx students in urban schools. By highlighting the subversive and liberatory potential of playfulness, the session aims to provide new insights into educational practices that nurture critical engagement, creativity, and solidarity among marginalized groups.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Decolonial, Postcolonial, and Anti-Colonial Studies in Education

Chair

• Omi Salas-SantaCruz, University of Utah

Papers

• Playfulness as Decolonial Resistance in Education: Insights from Palestinian Children - Omi Salas-SantaCruz, University of Utah

• Those Are For Learning, Not Play”: Play as Youth Contestations and Desires - Joel De Jesus Lovos, University of California - Santa Cruz

• Soccer as Resistance: Cultivating Inclusive Masculinities through Lugones' "Playfulness" in Mission District - Erick Orihuela, University of California - Santa Cruz

• Embodying Playfulness: Lugones’ “World”-Traveling in the Life of an Undocumented Latinx Secondary School Student - Raul Meneses Samperio, University of California - Santa Cruz

Discussant

• Cindy Cruz, University of Arizona