Socializing Children's Toys

Harappan toy identified objects form the basis for analternative approach to established archaeology's neglect of toymaterials. The study agrees with objections tothoughts of themarginalized Western child as universal, but takes on a differentroute using revised toy definitions critical of stated ideas of thetoy as problematic to apply on non-Western contexts. The artefacts'toy labels are hence not turned into other (commonly termed morevaluable) interpretations. By use of grounded theory, the objectsturn up indicating regulated patterns as to shape and spatiality.An emphasis on serial practices enables these patterns to be viewedwithin a supposed toy-realm, relating the objects to diverse socialstrategies while proposing them as children's (play)things.Particularly suiting the Harappan context's elusiveness, theoutline suggests by this a reduced need for boundaries and closedentities, stating so-called toy obstacles as mere results of these.The toy concept, as the materialities of next generation, emergesas essential when dealing with change vs continuity within socialstructures, as well as when striving to avoid totalities formed bystiff, dichotomized thinking.