Children's games and social change in Savage Cove, Newfoundland (1900-1992)

• Main Author: Coles, Keith Ralph
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 1998
• Subjects: Savage Cove; Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/861/; https://research.library.mun.ca/861/1/Coles_KeithRalph.pdf; https://research.library.mun.ca/861/3/Coles_KeithRalph.pdf

This thesis records the evolution of the repertoire of children's games and pastimes for the community of Savage Cove on Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula from approximately 1900 to 1992. Also, it explores the relationship between this evolution and the social and economic changes which have occurred within the community over the same period of time. This is achieved through the classification and analysis of the games, which serves to quantify the worldview of the community as expressed through its evolving game preference. -- The study focuses on change rather than continuity, for although the games can be seen to represent traditional tendencies and needs, they have changed profoundly over time, and express the conservative yet innovative manner in which the community has responded to social and economic developments. The children's negotiation between the new and the traditional demonstrates the enculturation of the upcoming generation within the community, as well as their reaction to change within the context of the community's worldview. In the end, the evolution of the repertoire can be seen to represent the community's response to modernization.