Shaping Asian Future Generations in an Age of (De)Colonization: Playgrounds and Outdoor Games in India and China (ca. 1900-1950)

Playgrounds as outdoor spaces for children equipped with elements for play originated in North America and Europe in the late 19th century. Aimed at creating safe spaces for ludic activities in large cities, playgrounds were based on the concept of supervised play to shape ‘healthy’ bodies and minds in children. Through imperial highways, playgrounds travelled to India and China where childhood acquired a new place in projects of humanitarian/imperial ‘rescue’ and in nationalist reformist agendas. Focusing on Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Hong Kong and Shanghai, the project reconstructs the web of transnational actors and global educational/pedagogical theories and practices surrounding playgrounds. It intends to correct the West-centric and nation-bound existing studies while enriching the global history of childhood and of children’s geographies.