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Dincs as Worldviews: Things that Communicate a Mind

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Abstract

This chapter explores toys as ‘gatherings’ of players that communicate a sense of the player’s world and its concerns to other players and non-players The examination of Banarasi toys illustrates the quintessential property of Play-things to gather, negotiate, and communicate matters of concern. These Things (Dincs) gather players into rituals and ceremonies, as well as for assembling and negotiating concerns as manifested in canons, conventions, and beliefs for embodying in the Play-thing. This perspective broadens the definition of Banarasi toys from a ludic expression alone to a cultural representation. In this sense, Play-Things communicate not only what they are, but also the mind of the players.

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Correspondence to Koumudi Patil .

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Patil, K. (2018). Dincs as Worldviews: Things that Communicate a Mind. In: Magalhães, L., Goldstein, J. (eds) Toys and Communication. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59136-4_9

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