RELIGION AND PLAY: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
Centre for the Study of Play and Recreation, School of Education
University of Greenwich
Knowledge Transfer event with the AHRC project
Building on History: the Church in London”
Friday March 11th, 2011, 9.30-4.30 p.m., Queen Anne 063, Maritime Campus
While religious organisations can be perceived as having a killjoy mentality which
discourages play and entertainment, certain types of theology have emphasised the place
of play in worship and spirituality. This symposium, held in association with the AHRCfunded project, “Building on History: the Church in London” will explore the potential
for play in worship and religious institutions, highlighting issues relating to gender, age,
class and ethnicity. We also invite short contributions relating to world and local religions
and Christian denominations as part of the participants’ session.
9.45 a.m. Welcome and Introductions
Religion, Play and the Family
10 a.m. Lucy Underwood (University of Cambridge)
“Catechesis, Socialisation and Play in a Seventeenth Century Household: The
'Children's Exercises' in the Blundell family papers”
10.30 a.m. Dr Midori Yamaguchi (Daito Bunka University, Japan)
“From the Vicarage to the Stage; Clerical Families and Parish Entertainments in the
Nineteenth Century”
11.00-11.30 a.m. Coffee and tea
Organised Play and Recreation
11.30. a.m.-12 p.m. Dr Sophie Heywood (University of Reading)
“Children saved by children: the French Holy Childhood Association”
12 -12.30 p.m. Dr Mary Clare Martin,(University of Greenwich)
“Roman Catholic Girl Guides in Sussex, 1912-29: Origins, Ideology, Practice”
12.30-1.00 p.m. Dr Deborah Gaitskell (University of London)
“Moralizing Leisure Time: British Women Missionaries among African children in
Johannesburg between the wars”
Lunch 1.00p.m.-2.00 p.m.
2.00 p.m.-3.00 p.m.
Church, chapel and play in London
Dr Mary Clare Martin (University of Greenwich)
“The Rev William Wilson, play, and the infant school movement, 1822-48”
Dr Anna Davin, (University of London)
“Happy Evenings, Wholesome Play: teaching through play in poor neighbourhoods in
London, c.1870-1920”
Dr Keith Cranwell (University of Greenwich)
“Play, playgrounds and the churches”
3.00-4.00 p.m. Participants’ session
“Religion and play, past, present, and future”
This will focus on links between religion and play in a wide range of contexts, and
productive ways of developing these. Please notify the organiser, Dr Mary Clare Martin,
m.c.h.martin@gre.ac.uk, if you would like to contribute to this session
4.00-4.30 p.m. Tea and coffee
ALL WELCOME
The symposium is free of charge, but to book a place, please e-mail Dr Sheryl Clark
sheryl.clark@gre.ac.uk..