./"

TASP NEWSLETTERTHE ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF PLAY

VOLUME 13, NUMBER3 SUMMER 1987l~

MONTREAL MEETING WRAP-UP

\...""I~he TASP annual meetings in Montreal, March 26-29,provided those in attendance with both intellectual and ludicstimulation. A total of twenty-five sessions featuring overseventy-five papers and presentations were well attendedand provided the foundation for lively discussion.Presentors included a fine balance of TASP veterans andnewcomers. As an example of the former, one stimulatingsession featured presentations by Barney Mergen on winterfestivals and by Jay Mechling on play with pets. On thenewcomer side, a number of scholars from RichardSchechner's program in performance studies at New YorkUniversity presented the results of their ethnographicstudies of play settings in New York City, among themLynn Francison chess in Central Park, separate papers byJane Kelton and Carrie Stern on the Greenwich VillageHalloweenparade, and Sally Charnow on festival at a Jewishgirls' school. Montreal lived up to its reputation as agastronomic center, though following Kendall Blanchard insearch of Quebecois cuisine was a bit easier on thepocketbookthan was trying classical French cuisine with GaryAlan Fine. The newsletter editor would like to especiallythank Ann-Marie Guilmette and Mike Salter for their advice onCanadian beers.

Richard Schechner's keynote address on "Play and the,erformativeGenres" drew upon Eastern modes of thought

In contrast to positivist approaches. This editor immediatelyincorporated Schechner's six dimensions of the study of play--structure, process, mood, function, ideology, and frame --into class lectures.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Montreal Wrap-Up 1Play & Culture 2Montreal Quiz 3RobertsTribute 4Playprint 6

When Frank Manning spoke in his Presidential address ofboxers and jockeys, he was not speaking of athletes; rather,he was speaking of styles of underwear as metaphors foracademic life. This was rather unsettling to the audience, asthe Presidential address was followed by Schechner'sdirection of the assembled mass in a performance of"Clothes," during which participants were implored tocontribute their garments -- quite literally, the shirts off theirbacks. Schechner had earlier acknowledged that the TASPmembers would be a difficult group to direct, as they wouldwant to stand back and observe rather than participate. Still,Schechner succeeded, with Don Lytle and BrianSutton-Smith, among others, taking leading roles.

Not all was fun and games, however, as the TASP Board melon consecutive afternoons to consider organizationbusiness. The most important decisions revolved aroundthe impending publication of the journal Play & Culture(see related story in this issue). The journal will be publishedquarterly beginning in February 1988. This will necessitate anew dues structure for TASP, with $35 annual duesincluding a subscription to the journal as well as thenewsletter. Student members and retired members will beoffered a non-journal membership for $10 or a with-journalmembership for $25. Membership will be on a calendar yearbasis to coincide with publication of the journal. Thenewsletter will be published three times per year beginningin 1988. Volume 14, number 1 will be published in February1988 and will contain abstracts of papers for the 1988 annuameetings. The 1988 annual meetings will be held in theOakland/Berkeley area in April in conjunction with theCalifornia Folklore Society, with the exact date and place

/"c.'J

under negatiatian at this time. Ann-Marie Guilmettewillserve as pragram chair. Passiblesites far the 1989meetingswere discussed; suggestians included Chicaga,Philadelphia,Atlantic City, Minneapalis, Cincinnati, and HiltanHead.

PLA Y & CUt TURE TO BEGINPUBLICATION

Play & Culture, the .officialjaurnal .ofTASP, will be publishedquarterly by Human Kinetics Publishers beginning inFebruary 1988. Editar Garry Chick reparts that he hasalready received manuscripts far review, and he encauragesthase wha presented papers at the Mantreal meetings, aswell as .otherswha have manuscripts, ta cansider sendingthem ta him far review. The editarial palicy and guidelines farcantributars have been pravided by Garry belaw. Members.ofthe Editarial Baard .ofPlay & Culture are:

Garry Chick (Editar)University .of lIIinais

Brian Suttan-Smith (Cansulting Editar)University .ofPennsylvania

Kendall BlanchardEmparia State University

James ChristieUniversity.of Kansas

Gary Alan FineUniversity .of Minnesata

Ann-Marie GuilmetteBrac~ University

David LancyUtah State University

Jahn LayUniversity .oflliinais

Frank ManningUniversity .ofWestern Ontaria

Jay MechlingUniversity.ofCalifarnia- Davis

Bernard MergenGearge Washingtan University

Anna NardaLauisiana State University

,. Jahn M. Raberts

University .of Pittsburgh

Helen Schwartzman ~

Narthwestern University

~

Play & Culture Editorial PolicyGarry Chick, Editar

The fallawing is an initial editarial policy statement far Play &Culture. While I da nat expect it ta be changed much, theditarial baard has nat had the appartunity ta provide theii"""'"input ta it. Hence, the statement may be madified samewhatpriar ta the publicatian .of the first issue .of the jaurnal.

The purpase .ofPlay & Culture is ta stimulate andcammunicate research, critical thaught and theary in all areas Irelated ta the tapic .ofplay. Play & Culture publishes I

empirical, thearetical, and pasitian papers, as well as reviewsand critical essays, that further .ourunderstanding .ofthephenamenan .ofplay in humans and in animals and acrassvariaus cultural, sacial, and activity settings. Far empiricalresearch reparts, all types .ofresearch methadadalagies areappropriate far Play & Culture and the subject matter inpapers may be discussed in terms .ofperspectives derivedfrom the behaviaral, sacial and bialagical sciences,educatian, and the humanities.

Authars are encauraged ta submit manuscripts that addressany tapic related ta play, including leisure, recreatian, andspart. Research reparts an the relatianships between warkand play are alsa salicited. Bath pure and applied researchreparts are published. The principal criteria far acceptanceare scientific and methadalagical saundness andcantributian ta the understanding .ofplay.

In additian ta .originalresearch reparts and thearetical p~.Play & Culture publishes baak reviews, annatatedbibliagraphies an selected tapics, and a sectian devated taresearch nates, camments, and methadalagical issues. Anauthar index will be included in the December issue.

.:$,

Instructions for Contributors to Play &CultureGarry Chick, Editar

Articles submitted far publicatian in Play & Culture shauldadhere ta the directians given in the Publication Manual ofthe American Psychological Association, Third Editian(1983). This manual is available from the Order Department,APA, 1200 Seventeenth St., N.W., Washingtan, D.C. 20036.orfrom mast university libraries. All articles must bepreceeded by an abstract .of75-150 wards typed an aseparate page. The manuscript must be dauble-spacedthraughaut, including the abstract and references. Farfigures, either the .originaldrawings .orhigh qualityphatagraphic prints are acceptable and these shauld beidentified an the back with the number .ofthe iIIustratian......

Three copies of the manuscript should be submitted to Garry

( lick,Editor, Play &Culture,Children's Research Center,oniversityof Illinois,51 East Gerty Drive,Champaign, IL61820. Allcopies should be on good qualitypaper and beclear and legible. Dotmatrixor unusual typefaces areacceptable ifclear and readable. Dittoedor mimeographedcopies are not acceptable. Authors are advised to carefullyproof the finalcopy and to retain a copy of the manuscript toguard against loss. Manuscriptswillbe reviewed by at leasttwo reviewers and the reviewprocess willtake from8 to 10weeks. Authors of manuscripts accepted for publicationmust transfer copyrightto Human KineticsPress, Inc.

i IA blindreviewprocess willbe used to evaluate articles. Witheach copy of the manuscript, authors are requested tosubmit a separate cover sheet that includes the titleof themanuscript, name of the author(s), institutionalaffiliation(s),running head, date of manuscript submission, and fullmailingaddress and telephone number of the author who is toreceive the galley prooofs. The first page of the manuscriptshould omit the author's name and affiliationbut shouldinclude the titleof the manuscript and the date ofsubmission. Effortshould be made to insure that themanuscript itselfcontains no clues to the author's identity.

I aniticipatethat we willhave specific guidelines concerning

(' '~99th of papers of differenttypes (reviewarticles, reports of,"-search, short communications,etc.), but at this point, I

would ask authors to make every effortto keep papers to 30pages or less. Personally, I also prefer the liberaluse ofsubheadings in papers as Ifind that they make things easierto digest. Iencourage their use.

MONTREAL MEETING QUIZ

ATASP member under the nom de plume of Dr.Tyl Dolenhas offered the followingquiz which captures the spirit of theMontreal meetings. To test your knowledge of what wentonin Montreal,match the phrase withthe person who said it(numbers in parentheses indicate the number of times thephrase was uttered during the meetings by the person inquestion) :

Phrases:

£ "dissipative structure"~ "subjectivetoys"~ "darkplay"~ "white, black and red"~ "Amanitas"A "neotony"~ "exemplars"~ "I knowwhere it is!"~ "heroes"~ "Jockeys"~ "Boxers"

Persons:

a. James Johnson (9)e. Janet Harris (6)f. Myrdene Anderson (12)i. Alyce Cheska (14)I. Richard Schechner (8)m. Kay Smith (6)n. Kendall Blanchard (4)o. Gary Alan Fine (7)p. Garry Chick (11)s. Frank Manning (10)u. Brian Sutton-Smith (5)z. Don Handelman (0)

LEADING PLAY SCHOLARS TO RETIRE

The end of the 1986-87 academic year marks the retirement from faculty positions of two teachers-researchers-scholars who have contributed greatly to TASP and more generally to play studies: AlyceTaylor Cheska and John M. Roberts. TASP wishes to acknowledge the contributions of each, to wisheach well, and to look forward to the participation of each in TASP activities. The contributions of thesetwo to TASP and to the field of play studies is such that considerable space is required to merely I;';'summarize them. In the following piece, Garry Chick comments on the contributions of John M. Roberts.The next issue of the newsletter will contain a piece on the contributions of Alyce Cheska.

l

ATributeto John M.Robertsby Garry Chick

John M.Roberts will be retiring at the end of the 1986-87academic year in order to pursue the Good Life. The GoodLife, according to Yi-Fu Tuan (a geographer at the Universityof Wisconsin, not an ancient Chinese philosopher) spans thepossible range of experience in the life cycle of an individual,from the exuberance of the child, through warm andmeaningful social relationships, action and achievement, tothe clear vision of age. Accoring to Tuan, the Good Lifecomprehends the Moral Idea, whose appearance ismeasured austerity and respect for truth. If these things aretrue, Jack Roberts has been living the good life all along.Born in 1916 in Omaha, Nebraska, Jack graduated withdistinction from the University of Nebraska in 1937. Heentered the University of Chicago in the fall of 1937 to studylaw, but, happily, moved to the anthropology program afterthe first quarter. In 1939, Jack moved to the Department ofAnthropology at Yale University to continue his graduatework but was called to active duty in the UnitedStates Armyin 1942 and spent the next three years as a rifle companycommander. Much of that time was spent in Europe in WorldWar II where hewas awardedthe Silver Star for GallantryinAction.

Jack received his Ph.D. in anthropology from Yale in 1947,having studied under the likes of Redfield at Chicago andMalinowski and Murdock at Yale. He took a position as anassistant professor at Minnesota in 1947 and moved to theDepartment of Social Relations, Harvard University, in 1948.From 1953 to 1955, Jack was an associate professor ofanthropologyat the Universityof Nebraskaand wasappointed as a Fellow in the Center for Advanced Study inthe Behavioral Sciences in 1957. In 1958, he moved toCornell University as professor of anthropology where hewas acting chair of the department in 1966-67. In 1969-70,Jack held the Chair of ComparativeCultures at the NavalWarCollege in Newport, Rhode Island, and was, in 1971,appointed Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Anthropology atthe University of Pittsburgh. He has since held severaladjunct, affiliate, and visiting positions. Currently, he is on avisiting appointment at the Universityof California, Irvine.Jack has held a number of professional offices including thepresidencies of the American Ethnological Society (1960),the Northeastern Anthropological Association (1965-67), theSociety for Cross-Cultural Research (1974-75), and, ofcourse, The Association for the Anthropological Study ofPlay (1979-80). In 1982, Jack was accorded the highesthonor available to an anthropologist by his academic peerswith his appointment to the National Academy of Sciences.

Jack's academic career in anthropology began in a relativelyconventional fashion. He did field research among theRamah Navaho and the Zuni beginning in 1945 and his mostrecent field experience has been in Mexico. However, much

of Jack's career has been spent in the study of aspects ofAmerican culture and in cross-cultural work where, unlikemany anthropologists, his interests have been primarily incontent areas, rather than with geographical areas. In all -areas of research and teaching, however, Jack has earnedthe reputation as one of anthropology's premier "idea men."This reputation was initiated early with concepts such as thatof the "small group culture" which was developed in hisdoctoral dissertation and a later monograph. Jack alsoprobably coined the term "expressive culture," now incommon use in anthropology. A turning point in Jack'scareer, as well as an important point in anthropology, ingeneral, and for the yet-to-be Association for theAnthropological Study of Play, in particular, came with the1959 publication "Games in Culture" in the AmericanAnthropologist, co-authored with Malcolm J. Arth and RobertM. Bush. More than any other single publication, "Games inCulture" relegitimated the study of play and games inanthropology. Although the American Anthropologist hadpublished 17 articles dealing with game ethnographybetween 1888 and 1928, during the period 1929 to 1958only one publication was on games. Indeed, between 1949and 1958, the cumulative index of the journal had noreferences at all to games. Since the publication of "Gamesin Culture" there have been only two more articles devotedto games published in the American Anthropologist (one ofwhich was co-authored by Jack), along with two on play, butmany publications have appeared in other outlets, includin""the TAASP Newsletter and Proceedings.

"Games in Culture"was important in other ways, as well. Mostsignificantly, it gave a definition and a classification system forgames that have become the de facto standards forsubsequent research, especially from a cross-culturalperspective. Further, Roberts, Arth, and Bush describedgames as expressive models of other cultural activities,suggested that games appear in a developmental sequencein cultural evolution, and linked games to forms of childsocialization. "Games in Culture" laid the groundwork formany later cross-cultural studies of games and otherexpressive activities produced by Jack in cooperation withnumerous co-authors, most notably Brian Sutton-Smith. In1962, Jack and Brian published "Child Training and GameInvolvement" wherein they proposed theconflict-enculturation theory of game involvement to accountfor the relationship of games and game types to bothantecedent child training variables and to their culturaloutcomes. Subsequent studies by Jack and his co-workersdealt with the cultural aspects of games of strategy (Roberts,Hoffman, and Sutton-Smith, 1965; Roberts, Sutton-Smith,and Kendon, 1963), games of chance (Barry and Roberts,1972; Roberts and Sutton-Smith, 1966), and games ofphysical skill (Sutton-Smith, Roberts, and Kozelka, 1963).In a 1964 publication, Sutton-Smith and Roberts termedindividualswho, in real life situations, act like players in ganl<>;:)

of chance as "fortunists," while those who rely on successthrough physical skill and power as "potents," and those who

tryto succeed through wise or clever decision making as"strategists." They demonstrated that, in American culture,at least, potency was the preferred style of competition while

t- success through chance was tantamount to failure,\.. especiallyfor males. In later studies, Jack and his colleagues

termed these dispositions "action styles" and found them toconsistently account for a significant portion of the variancein terms of the types of games individualsplay and theirperformance in them.

A recent series of studies, beginning with "Butler CountyEight Ball: A Behavioral Space Analysis" (1979), has dealtwith the internal structures of games, indicating afundamental seemly-unseemly play distinction andsuggesting that such categories may exist in other culturalpatterns. These studies have also dealt with the issue ofplayer competence, showing differences between the levelsof fun and concentration experienced by ordinary and expertpool players and between the self-testing levels of expertand more ordinary trapshooters. Similarly, a study ofoffensive and defensive soccer players indicated that theyhave different cognitive maps of the game.

Jack has also been engaged in the study of why competentplayers cease to participate in games, such as pool, findingthat there appears to be a specific developmental sequencein becoming involved in a game, playing, and finallydisengaging from the game (Roberts and Chick, 1984). This- sequence consists of a high approach and low avoidance

\.. attitudes in the involvement stage, a high approach and highavoidance conflict stage during play, and, finally,disengagement itself is characterized by low approach andhigh avoidance. Further research is now being carried out inthis area.

Most recently, Jack has looked at some of the expressiveand playful aspects of work, specifically in the context of smallmachine shops (Roberts and Chick, 1987; Chick andRoberts, in press).

The validation of the scientific legitimacy of Jack's work bothby anthropology and by the broader scientific establishmentthrough his many recognitions, including his appointment tothe National Academy of Sciences, has brought validation, aswell, to the rest of us who do research and teaching in thearea of play. As a teacher, Jack has profoundly influencedthe careers and futures of many, myself included, andalthough he is now relieved of the burden of classroominstruction, his teaching will go on through his corpus ofresearch currently in the literature and the works that willappear in the future. We all owe Jack for these things.

(

At 70, Jack still exhibits the exuberance of the child; he hasthe deep respect and love of many; the action andachievement continue; and, though the eyes may not be sosharp as they once were, the vision is undimmed. Themeasured austerity and respect for truth are unchanged.Jack and his wife, Marilyn, will continue to live the Good Lifein Pittsburghwhere he will remain with the University ofPittsburghas a Professor Emeritus. We wish them well.

Selected References

Roberts, John M., Arth, Malcolm J., and Bush, Robert R.(1959). Games in culture. American Anthropologist, 61,597-605.

Roberts, John M. and Sutton-Smith, Brian (1962). Childtraining and game involvement. Ethnology, 1, 166-185.

Sutton-Smith, Brian, Roberts, John M., and Kozelka, RobertM. (1963). Game involvement in adults. Journal of SocialPsychology, 60, 15-30.

Roberts, John M., Sutton-Smith, Brian, and Kendon,Adam(1963). Strategy in games and folktales. Journalof SocialPsychology, 61, 15-30. \

Sutton-Smith, Brian and Roberts, John M. (1964). Rubricsofcompetitive behavior. Journal of Genetic Psychology,105,13-37.

Roberts, John M., Hoffman, Hans, and Sutton-Smith, Brian(1965). Pattern and competence: A consideration of ticktack toe. EI Palacio, 72,3, 17-30.

Roberts, John M. and Sutton-Smith, Brian (1966).Cross-culturalcorrelates of games of chance. BehavioralScience Notes, 1,131-144.

Barry, Herbert C.,III and Roberts,John M. (1972). Infantsocialization and games of chance. Ethnology, 11,296-308.

Roberts, John M. and Chick, Garry E. (1979). Butler Countyeight ball: A behavioral space analysis. In J. H. Goldstein(Ed.), Sports, games and play: Social and psychologicalviewpoints (pp. 65-99). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence ErlbaumAssociates.

Roberts, John M. and Nattrass,Susan M. (1980). Womenand trapshooting: Competence and expressionjn a gameof physical skill with chance. In H. B. Schwartzman(Ed.),Play and Culture (pp. 262-291). West Point, NY: LeisurePress.

Roberts, John M. and Luxbacher, Joseph A. (1982).Offensive and defensive perspectives in soccer. In J. W.Loy (Ed.), Theparadoxes of play (pp. 225-238). WestPoint, NY: Leisure Press.

Roberts, John M. and Chick, Garry E. (1984). Quittingthegame: Covert disengagement from Butler County eightball. American Anthropologist, 86,549-567.

Roberts,John M. and Chick, Garry E. (1987). Humanviewsof machines: Expression and machine shop syncretism.In H. R. Bernard & P. J. Pelto (Eds), Technologyand socialchange (2nd ed., pp. 301-327, 377-393). ProspectHeights, IL: Waveland Press.

I

Chick, Garry E. and Roberts, John M. (1987). Lathecraft: Astudy in 'part' appreciation. Human Organization (in press.\,.

'-

PLAY PRINT: Books and Materials for Play Scholars

~. ~ htvvJ~ (\ ~ ICY f.

StevanneAuerbach, TheToy Chest: ASourcebook of Toys for Children. Lyle Stuart,1967,226 pp.

This new book describes child development from infancy toolder children, draws upon interviews with specialists in thetoy industry, and provides a guide on what types of toys tobuy children. It also includes a list of additional resources andcontains a bibliography. The book has been favorablyreviewed by such diverse sources as the American LibraryAssociation, Christian Science Monitor, and GoodHousekeeping.

Dr. Auerbach has been concerned about the increase in wartoys and the seeming expansion of violent play. Shewelcomes communication from TASP members regardingobservations, research findings, and other informationrelated to this subject. Her mailing address is: Room 207,1005 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94103.

James E. Johnson, James F. Christie and ThomasD. Yawkey, Play and Early ChildhoodDevelopment. Scott, Foresman and Co., 1967,266 pp.

Thisbookis intendedas a coretext for courseswhichconsider the role of play in early childhood education or as asupplementary text in more general early childhoodeducationcourses. The text mixes empirical findings withpractical teaching strategies, making it useful for preschoolteachers, day care specialists, other professionals, andparents, as well as scholars who want to incorporate the worldof play into early childhood education.

Gary Alan Fine, With the Boys: Little LeagueBaseball and Preadolescent Culture. University ofChicago Press, 1967, 269 pp.

Editor's note: The TASP Newsletter has in the pastfrequentlypublishedreviewsof newbooksin the field. WJ1ilthe publication of the journal Play & Culture beginning irf1988, there will be a new and more prestigious venueavailable for book reviews. I would like to institute thepolicyof dispensing with book reviews per se in the newsletter,replacing reviews with commentaries on books or othercontributions to the field. These commentaries would beless formal and more personal than standard reviews; theirpurpose would be to stimulate TASP members to read newstudies and to communicate with one another about howthese studies have influenced their own thinking in thefield.As an example of this type of commentary, I have written forthis issue a personal view of Gary Alan Fine's With the Boys.I welcome reponses to this commentary, opinions about thistype of communication, suggestions of works to beconsidered, and readers' commentaries on any newpublications.

As a sociologist interested in the playful and recreationalaspects of sport, and as a former Little Leaguer, I was eagerto read Gary Alan Fine's description and analysisofpreadolescent male culture based on three years ofobservation of Little League baseball in New York andMinnesota. In a sense the book is not new, as much of thematerial has been published in journals over the past severalyears, and some readers may feel that the chapters arerelatively independent and that the book does not have a

clear focus. This potentially irksome quality is outweighel"my opinion, by the ethnographic data. Fine has combinedextensive observation with sociometric and otherquestionnaire data and with interviews with coaches and

parents. The result is an extremely rich picture of LittleLeague baseball as viewed by coaches, parents, andespecially boys, and it is the numerous and detailed excerpts

<... )m field notes that ultimately unify the text. The author alsoIllcludes fine (pardon the pun) appendices on doingfieldwork among children and on the pros and cons of LittleLeague baseball.

John MacAloon has recently urged sport sociologists to paygreater attention to culture in general and to discourse inparticular in their analyses of social institutions:

Ordinary discourse, the more ordinary the better, is notonly patterned, it contains essential clues to socialreality. Indeed ~ plays no small role in constituting thatreality, and in that sense discourse is what is.(MacAloon 1987 p. 108, italics in original)

Fine's study seems an excellent example of the fruitfulnessof MacAloon's approach, for Fine studies the rhetoric usedby adults and children to create meaning systems around theactivity of Little League baseball. He argues that coachesattempt to impose moral meaning on baseball by interpretingsuccess or failure as being due not to skill or serendipity, butto "effort." Coaches see Little League not as a recreational

I activity for children but as an opportunity to socialize children

linto the prevailing middle-class moral order. One sees here aparticularvariant of what Harry Edwards (1970) has called "the"merican sports creed."

"he extent to which the boys accept this adult imposedmeaning system is not entirely clear. The boys sometimesexpressed disappointment with coaches who did not displaysufficient "effort" or "seriousness," but they also complainedabout coaches who yelled at them and sometimes mockedthese men behind their backs. What is clearly evident is thatthe adult imposed meaning system did not matter much tothe boys. Little League is seen by Fine not primarily as anearly entry for boys into the world of organized athletics, butas an opportunity for boys to gather and interact regularlyover a period of months, during which they construct ameaning system around their age-and-gender position aswell as around baseball. The boys' talk -- about sex andaggression much more than about baseball -- is the meat ofthe book. Here the description provided by Fine reminds memuch more of the recent popular movie Stand By Me thanof my own days as a Little League baseball player. The boys

. in Fine's study are much more sexualized and much lessdeferent to adult authority than we were when I played ball inWaco, Texas circa 1960. Obviously,Waco isunrepresentative of American communities in manyrespects, but my point is that, even though I had grown up ina middle-class suburban community very much like the onesstudies by Fine, and even though I had played Little League

I ~seballand had had occasion to look back at my childhood\.. _Aperiencesthrough the colored glasses of my sociological

training, I was somewhat surprised by Fine's description.Withthe Boys reminds me that our society is powerfullyage-graded, that youth cultures are continually changing,

and that all of us would do well to read such studies as a wayof keeping in touch with this segment of the population.

Fine's theoretical concerns are largelywith the relationshipbetween small group cultures ("idiocuItures"), subculturesbased on age-and-gender position, and the larger culturewithin which these operate. He considers questions ofculture diffusion and uses culture elements such as slangterms and pranks as indicators. For my money, however,themost important theoretical questions raised by the work arelarger, for they have to do with the formation of clearlycrystallized cultures around age-and-gender at an early age.The ten-to-twelve year olds in Fine's study make clear theterms by which they judge one another and understandthemselves to be judged. To be called a "fag" or "sissy" isthe ultimate epithet, and while boys may like to "Squeezethe girls' itties," their relationships with girls are stylized andconflictive. In short, preadolescent male culture is sexist inthe extreme, and the twelve year old boy's version ofmanhood has a strong macho streak which manifests itself inaggressiveness and racism. Indeed, I find striking parallelsbetween Fine's description of talk in the Little Leaguedugout and my own study of middle-class American malesengaging in macho display during a rugby tour (Hilliard 1987).It is wirth noting that, though there were no legal obstacles totheir participation, only five girls were included among theseveral hundred players in the leagues studied by Fine.Given the nature of preadolescent male culture, this is nosurprise; urgings of parents and friends (or lack thereof)aside, a young girl would have to be tremendouslycommitted to baseball to persist in such a setting. This is tosay that efforts to change gender roles are difficult, to say theleast, when such traditional conceptions of gender roles andgender relations are so crystallized in preadolescence. Fineintroduces his study by reminding us of how few studies ofchildren's cultures there actually are and by saying, "Behindthese issues of preadolescent culture is another agenda:understanding the dynamics of culture creation" (p 2). I mustconclude this commentary by agreeing with him and byhoping that similar studies, in other settings and of perhapsstill younger groups, will add to our understanding of thiscrucial process.

References:

Edwards, Harry. 1970. The Sociology of Sport. Homewood,IL: Dorsey.

Hilliard, Dan. 1987. The rugby tour: construction andenactmentof social roles in a play setting. In Gary Alan Fine(Ed.), Meaningful Play, Playful Meaning, pp. 173-192.Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

MacAloon, John. 1987. An observer's view of sportsociology. Sociology of Sport Journal 4(2), pp. 103-115.