Repairing Play: A Black Phenomenology

by Aaron Trammell

A provocative study that reconsiders our notion of play—and how its deceptively wholesome image has harmed and erased people of color.

Contemporary theorists present play as something wholly constructive and positive. But this broken definition is drawn from a White European philosophical tradition that ignores the fact that play can, and often does, hurt. In fact, this narrow understanding of play has been complicit in the systemic erasure of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) from the domain of leisure. In this book, Aaron Trammell proposes a a radical reconsideration of play that expands its definition to include BIPOC suffering, subjugation, and taboo topics such as torture. As he challenges and decolonizes White European thought, Trammell maps possible ways to reconcile existing theories with the fact that play is often hurtful and toxic.

Trammell upends current notions by exploring play’s function as a tool in the subjugation of BIPOC. As he shows, the phenomenology of play is a power relationship. Even in innocent play, human beings subtly discipline each other to remain within unspoken rules. Going further, Trammell departs from mainstream theory to insist that torture can be play. Approaching it as such reveals play’s role in subjugating people in general and renders visible the long-ignored experiences of BIPOC. Such an inclusive definition of play becomes a form of intellectual reparation, correcting the notion that play must give pleasure while also recasting play in a form that focuses on the deep, painful, and sometimes traumatic depths of living.

Genres: Race, Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

Published February 7, 2023

Reviews

[Victoria Hawco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Eye opening.

[Neveah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a landmark book in the understanding of play. By refiguring both the ways in which play theory has been presented, most notably as civilised or primitive, and how previous understandings of play avoid difficult moments such as forced or torturous play, Trammell re-examines critical thought on our understanding of play, and refigures it through a Black lens which nessecarily engages with the difficulty of play as an exclusionary activity. This is really, really good writing from a BIPOC perspective, that everyone should read.

[jessica o. ❦]

While I enjoyed the overall thesis of this book, it only needed to be 50 pages, not 146. The same concepts were repeated in every single chapter. Because of that, the introduction and the first chapter are great and then the rest is exhausting. Also, the consistent use of the word "BIPOC" (an acronym I hate) is going to date this book horribly over the next few years.

A guy I met at a house party recommended & sent me this book. I am almost positive he didn't read past the introduction.

I'm trying to accompany everything I read this year with a memorable quote, here's one I appreciated: "Billy Holiday's Strange Fruit is a protest song. It's a graphic description of the lynchings Black folk suffered in America throughout its history. And while the tune may have changed--the hangman's noose today is less popular than the pistol and the police no longer wear hoods--the song remains the same."

[Tugce Tuncdemir · Rating 4 out of 5]

​​In "Repairing Play: A Black Phenomenology," Aaron Trammell explores the concept of "repairing play," which involves acknowledging and addressing the historical and ongoing debts owed to Black people and how these debts shape the experience of play. Trammell emphasizes that Black play encompasses pain and pleasure and critiques the dominant, white-centric perspectives in canonical play theory, which often neglects or misunderstands Black aesthetics and experiences. He argues that traditional play theories, rooted in notions of civilization and productivity, are inherently white supremacist and exclude the affective dimensions of play that are crucial to Black radical aesthetics.
Trammell calls for a rethinking of play that includes its painful and traumatic aspects, advocating for a model of play that recognizes its potential to be both hurtful and healing. He highlights the importance of consent and the need to repair play by incorporating Black and BIPOC experiences and artistic expressions into the broader understanding of play. This includes recognizing the value of play in various forms of media and the subversion and appropriation of traditionally white narratives by BIPOC communities, such as India's embrace of cricket as a symbol of independence.
Ultimately, Trammell envisions a future where play is a space of mutual aid and support, integrating joy and challenge and contributing to healing colonial and racial traumas. He sees repair as a form of play that can address and heal the painful affects produced by historical injustices, moving towards a speculative Black future of inclusive and reparative play. This vision fosters a sense of connection and empathy, highlighting the role of play in building a supportive community.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a postcolonial take on game theory. Trammell argues we can’t assume agency is *always* equal, voluntary, or joyful. Agency can be coerced, partial, repurposed, unevenly distributed. He draws a line between games (structured systems with rules) and play, which spills into culture, ritual, even violence (a casino luring gamblers, a bully toying with a victim, torture, etc). These are play for the powerful, never for the powerless. Traditional game theory says forced play isn’t play at all, but enslaved and colonized people were often made into the material (objects - the played) of others’ play. His point: If we only imagine play as free and romantic, we erase these histories and repeat their logics. In this light, play is more philosophically serious than games. Game theory abstracts agency into strategy, but play (messy, uneven, sometimes cruel) is both joyous and violent, chosen and imposed.

If this sounds super academic/semantic, it’s because it is. The language is dense and abstract to encapsulate the patterns and historical complexity. I’m generally less interested in theory for this reason, but I still think it’s an important contribution to game theory as a whole.

[Amy Humphrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so full disclosure — I know Aaron and we worked on a grant together years ago. But I promise this review is real.

I am not a research book person. At all. My brain does not naturally go to phenomenology and theoretical frameworks. I picked this up because I trusted the person who wrote it, and I am so glad I did.

Here's the whole book in plain language, at least the way it landed for me:

Play has always been defined by people who could afford to think of it as purely fun. But for Black kids and Brown kids in America, play has never been just fun. It's been complicated. Sometimes dangerous. Sometimes the thing that was done TO them, not WITH them.

And when we talk about youth programs and say things like "we can't just let them hang out" we're kind of repeating that same mistake. We're saying their joy doesn't count as much as their deficits.

I work in dropout prevention. I've been fighting to keep UNO in my program for years. This book handed me the language to explain why that matters.

It's short. It's readable. And if you work with young people, especially kids who've been told in a hundred different ways that they don't quite belong, it will make you think twice about what you call "the work."

Read it.

[Sage Tomorrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for anyone engaging in play or games in any serious capacity. Essential reading for those who aren’t, too. Trammell broadens the scope of play in a way that is indispensable to understanding the time and place we inhabit.

[Ashley Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dropping some truth bombs. Should be required reading for all of game and play studies.

[Laura Op de Beke · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's immense power in its brevity and argument (though I would have really liked more examples and applications)

[Finn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surely one of the most important books written on games and play.