Contrasting with the common view of play as “kid’s stuff,” Thomas Henricks has studied the sociology of play among adults for over 40 years. He argues that play is not just an individual but a communal activity, and one of four fundamental activities that adults engage in (the others being work, ritual, and “communitas,” or civic engagement). His play-related research focuses on the nature of play and how it serves as a vehicle for human expression, experience, and self-awareness. He received his doctorate in sociology from the University of Chicago, and as of 2021 is the J. Earl Danieley Professor of Sociology and a Distinguished University Professor at Elon University.
Most Influential Work:
- Play Reconsidered: Sociological Perspectives on Human Expression (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2006) examines play in adult life through the lens of classic sociologists such as Marx, Durkheim, Weber, and Goffman.
- Play and the Human Condition (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2015) discusses different contexts and factors affecting play and examines how play informs our sense of self.
View all books and articles on our site by Thomas S. Henricks:
