Play Advantage

The Play Advantage: Global and Indigenous Perspectives in Higher Education is a multidisciplinary scholarly volume that brings together educators, researchers, and practitioners from around the world to explore how play functions as a transformative pedagogical and epistemological approach in education.

Rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems and enriched by diverse international perspectives, this work challenges conventional ideas of learning and knowledge development by positioning play as a serious, justice-oriented method for educational innovation. Organized into thematic sections, the book examines key theories, cultural practices, interdisciplinary applications, and the connections between story, justice, and belonging. Contributors draw on decolonial approaches, social constructivist theories, and critical pedagogy to frame play as a means of inquiry, resistance, and relational accountability. Case studies from a range of contexts—including Indigenous storytelling, community arts, and AI-supported learning—demonstrate the potential of play to foster creativity, inclusion, and ethical engagement.

Designed for scholars, educators, and policymakers committed to equity, cultural awareness, and pedagogical development, this volume offers both conceptual frameworks and practical insights. It encourages readers to view higher education not simply as knowledge transfer, but as a dynamic, co-creative process grounded in imagination, reciprocity, and systemic change, and it contributes to ongoing academic conversations on decolonizing education, interdisciplinary learning, and relational pedagogies as a resource for advancing research and practice in contemporary higher education.

Sequoyah Wharton is Director of the Empowering Global Educators Foundation, a nonprofit supporting global collaboration and educator development, teaches at Brentwood Union Free School District, New York, and serves as an adjunct associate professor at Molloy University and an adjunct professor at Suffolk County Community College, New York.

Ed Gonsalves is Director of Cooplexity, an executive training company that deploys playful methods with corporate clients. He is also an Associate Professor at ESADE Business School and a visiting professor at Toulouse Business School, Barcelona (Spain).