Toys and Material Culture: Hybridisation, Design and Consumption (Paris, 11-13 July 2018)

Edited by Gilles Brougère and Mark Allen 

The 8th World Conference of the International Toy Research Association is organised in conjunction with Experice (Experience, cultural resources and education) and Labex ICCA (Cultural Industries and Artistic Creation) of the Paris 13 University – Sorbonne Paris Cité University.

The International Toy Research Association (ITRA), founded in 1993, is devoted to the scientific study of toys in all their facets. ITRA brings together toy researchers from all corners of the globe. This is our 8th World Conference to discuss research, collaborate on international projects and exchange information with other researchers, students and leaders in the toy industry. More than 80 international delegates attended our previous meeting in Braga, Portugal in 2014.

The Experice research centre focuses on education outside school, informal learning, play and childhood material culture. It participates in the Labex ICCA.

The predominant theme for the 8th ITRA Conference is Toys and Material Culture: Hybridisation, Design and Consumption.

Beyond toys, the conference will explore the place of tangible objects and novel forms of material culture in play. What are the similarities and the differences, the relationships, between toys and other material devices, such as board games, cards, digital games and media-connected objects? Are there, in play, or in the trans-mediated toys themselves, new forms of materiality?