El juego y el juguete como actividades culturales y sus implicaciones para la descolonización: Una revisión histórica

The present study is a historical analysis of ethnographic production on games and toys. A review of the literature was carried out, which, following the methodology of the PRISMA statement, identified 68 studies in both Spanish, English, French and Portuguese that reported ethnographic studies since the end of the 19th century. Previous historical analyzes classified the production according to the philosophical approach that supported said studies. The present study innovates the analysis by using a poststructural perspective that identifies colonizing, decolonizing, and emancipatory components. Among the post-structural contributions, the various ways of conceiving play are identified, beyond what is school and childhood, how Western play promotes competition and individualism, how industrial toys promote Westernizing messages and how play and toys are used to promote identity and decolonization. The results help to criticize the study of games and toys exclusively from an educational and psychological point of view and show the need to take into consideration the cultural component in their use to avoid colonizing processes.