Reflections on the Work of Play in Early-career Scholarship and Pedagogy

This moderated panel explores how the concept of play, broadly defined, has shown up and shaped our experiences as early-career academics. Members of the 2024-26 Green College leading scholars cohort will reflect on the themes raised during our year of ‘Seasons of Play,’ reflecting on how play can function both as a methodology and a mindset across diverse disciplines. We approach play as a mode of engagement characterized by risk-taking, experimentation, flexibility, courage, resistance, and subversion, and we will reflect on how this informs our teaching and research roles. We will also examine the tensions that arise when play comes up against institutional expectations of productivity, standardization, and rigour. This conversation invites attendees to consider the role of play, its potential, and its limits, in fostering innovation and discourse in academia.