Call for Chapters: Routledge Handbook for Anthropology of Play and Games

As the editors of the Routledge Handbook for Anthropology of Play and Games, Fiona P. McDonald (University of British Columbia, Okanagan, Canada) and Nicholas J. Mizer (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA) invite proposals for chapters to be included in the forthcoming volume under contract with Routledge.

The Handbook is designed to offer a deep focus on the ways in which anthropologists have engaged with the topics of play and game, historically, presently, and into the future. We have organized the book into four sections:

Section One: The Landscape of Play and Games in Anthropology comprises chapters that delve into the core definitions of play and games, ethics and methods, and the materiality of games.

Section Two: Play and Games in Research comprises chapters that document how anthropologists have examined the social aspects of play and games since the early days of the discipline, treating them as objects of study.

Section Three: Play and Games as Research clearly recognizes the multimodal turn in anthropology and the current moment, with chapters that focus on play and games as methods and methodologies for conducting anthropological research on topics not directly related to games. And

Section Four: Futures for the Anthropology of Play and Games is an invitation for scholars to consider the opportunities that arise for the anthropology of play and games as a sub-discipline.

Chapters that cover any modes, mediums, and forms of play and games are welcome. We are particularly interested in proposals related to topics such as:

● Ethics in the study of games and play
● Agency and games
● Video Games, embodiment, and materiality
● Deep Play and Clifford Geertz
● Anthropology of gambling
● Anthropology of board and card games
● Games of language and culture
● The participatory turn in the anthropology of play and games
● Play and multimodality
● Futures of role-playing games and ethnofiction
● Games as a modality for analyzing data
● Subdisciplinary futures for anthropologies of play, games, and sports

One of the central goals of the book is to include a range of voices and expertise from different global contexts and career stages. To that end, we are particularly interested in proposals from junior scholars and those working outside the global North.

Interested authors must submit a proposal including a 100-200 word abstract using the submission portal by May 1, 2026 at 5:00 pm PST: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2osuQbYADqhrkiO

All chapters must be original work, not previously published.

Chapters of no more than 5,000 words (excluding bibliography) will be due August 30, 2026.

Please contact Nicholas J. Mizer (mizern@rpi.edu) and Fiona P. McDonald (fiona.mcdonald@ubc.ca) with any questions.