Books : Gender Play: Girls and Boys in School
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by: Barrie Thorne
Amazon.com's Price: $23.95 Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 370.193450973
EAN: 9780813519234
ISBN: 0813519233
Label: Rutgers University Press
Manufacturer: Rutgers University Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 237
Publication Date: 1993-03
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Sales Rank: 423920
Studio: Rutgers University Press
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
You see it in every schoolyard: the girls play only with girls, the boys play only with boys. Why? And what do the kids think about this? Breaking with familiar conventions for thinking about children and gender, Gender Play develops fresh insights into the everyday social worlds of kids in elementary schools in the United States. Barrie Thorne draws on her daily observations in the classroom and on the playground to show how children construct and experience gender in school. With rich detail, she looks at the 'play of gender' in the organization of groups of kids and activities - activities such as 'chase-and-kiss', 'cooties', 'goin' with', and teasing. Thorne observes children in schools in working-class communities, emphasizing the experiences of fourth and fifth graders. Most of the children she observed were white, but a sizable minority were Latino, Chicano, or African American. Thorne argues that the organization and meaning of gender are influenced by age, ethnicity, race, sexuality, and social class, and that they shift with social context. She sees gender identity not through the lens of individual socialization or difference, but rather as a social process involving groups of children. Thorne takes us on a fascinating journey of discovery, provides new insights about children, and offers teachers practical suggestions for increasing cooperative mixed-gender interaction.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Thoughtful work, with flaws
Thorne's sociological examination of gender in Gender Play is very thoughtful. She demonstrates a very sophisticated understanding of gender dynamics, and even more importantly, what are NOT gender dynamics. Moving smoothly between her own qualitative research in two elementary classrooms and the larger body of feminist scholarship on gender, Gender Play is nuanced and thought-provoking.
Thorne challenges commonsense notions of gender on institutional and individual levels. She ... Read More
Rating: - As vital as ever!
Thorne shows us how children learn & utilize gender through how and what they play in the school setting. I was delighted to see that children today still engage in the "cooties" game....that's something that MY generation played in the late 60's! I felt Thorne was right on target with what she saw and how she perceived it! Every educator, parent or anybody interested in how children perceive gender should read this book!
Rating:  - Ahhh, the memories
Thorne is truly on the right track, although most of the book relates to kids in the 80's. She often summarizes herself too much, but all together this is a book every adult should read.
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