Bringing the Origins of Playgrounds Into the Current Educational Debate: Jane Addams and the Kitchens of Socializing Democracy

Abstract

In response to several industrial transformations that took place at the end of the 19th century, the playground movement of North America focused its efforts on claiming the construction of recreational public spaces in modern American cities. The pragmatist philosopher Jane Addams actively participated in that movement and devoted a lot of her intellectual works (evidenced in articles, conferences, interviews, and books) to claiming the need for creating protected playgrounds in modern cities. Being founder and head of the settlement Hull-House (1889-2013), Addams enabled the first public playground of the city of Chicago in 1894. This paper aims to explore Jane Addams’ notions on children’s play. Following Addams’ thoughts, the industrial context had led young people to a state of aesthetic insensitivity. This "dangerous experiment" in the author's words, had jeopardised the dreams and democratic aspirations of children and young people thereby compromising the preservation of society. Addams argued the necessity of creating safe spaces that allow the aesthetic sensitization of young people and cultivate civic virtues valuable for democracy