Introduction: To Make/Unmake in the Land of Steel

In this introduction, the reader meets the author as a traveler heading to Sheffield, England from London by train. It sets the context for the study of making and unmaking in a location that was historically at the heart of the Industrial Revolution. We learn of the three main organizations to be introduced: an adventure playground, an artist collective, and a mobile makerspace. All three serve children in under resourced communities. The relevant literature on culture change from sociology, anthropology, psychology and folklore is presented, yet all of the citations are in the endnotes making it easy to follow. Key writers in the study of play and children’s culture are also highlighted. The author’s method is explained, that the book utilized photo and video elicitation with the adults in these three settings offering their commentary verbatim. UNICEF’s recent publication about the key challenges facing all children in the near future is a launching pad for the discussion of the importance of material play and the intersectionality of the challenges ahead: demographic change, the environmental crisis, and the changing forms of work.