Play and subjectification: the potentialities of early childhood education for developing the concept of subjectification

Authors

• Jan Varpanen Tampereen yliopisto

Abstract

In this article, a philosophical inquiry into the dialectical relationship between socialization and subjectification as central processes of education is presented. Recent theoretical and empirical work done in the vygotskian tradition of play research is used to define and describe key elements of socio-dramatic play. The concept of subjectification, on the other hand, is framed using theoretical perspectives developed by Gert Biesta and Veli-Matti Värri. The analysis shows the potential of play in examining the possibility of subjectification and identifies agency as a necessary condition for subjectification.