Make/Unmake: Play at the Centre of Culture Change

By Anna Beresin

Anna Beresin's 'Make/Unmake' is an engaging and deeply original exploration of children's play as a powerful cultural force. Drawing on ethnographic research and vivid travel writing, the author journeys to the Midlands region of England to observe three remarkable play-based programs: a mobile makerspace, an adventure playground, and an artist collective. She captures the voices of playworkers and the ingenuity of children improvising with loose materials-turning small objects into tools of imagination and change.At a moment when children's opportunities for material play are shrinking, this book confronts urgent questions: Who gets to play? Who is left out? The work resonates with UNICEF's recent call to address inequality, climate pressures, and technological shifts shaping children's lives today. By centring under-resourced communities, gender equity, and cultural representation, this volume reframes play as both a process of making and unmaking the world-an act of resilience, creativity, and collective transformation.This book will appeal to scholars and students in childhood studies, play studies, education, and cultural anthropology, as well as practitioners, teachers, policymakers, and all who are committed to protecting children's right to play.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1805118013
• ISBN13: 9781805118015
• Release Date: March 2026
• Publisher: Open Book Publishers
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.2"