Paper Short Abstract:

Among the Yucatecan Maya, child development is viewed as a gradual, autonomous, and internal process. As a result, Mayan caregivers believe that they do not need to intervene too directly in child’s education. They allow the children considerable freedom for observation and experimentation, refraining from forcing to them act against their will (Gaskins, 1999). During over a year of fieldwork in the village of Chulutan (Yucatán, Mexico) as part of my PhD research, I sought to explore what aspects of these modes of indirect socialization are accepted, questioned, or rejected by Mayan children, primarily through play situations. I had the opportunity to film numerous play situations (mostly in Yucatec Maya), in which the construction of gender identities is subtly influenced and shaped by caregivers and peers. My focus is on the socialization of gender roles, as Mayan societies are characterized by a clear differentiation of gender roles in everyday activities, verbal practices, and physical behaviors and attitudes. This gender distinction is strongly reflected in children's play (e.g. Rossie, 2021, among Moroccan Amazigh children). Whether the play is fictional or based on real-life elements, gendered roles are consistently present, and children's agency in these play situations allows them to re-enact this reality. By analyzing these interactions, we can observe which aspects of gender roles are instinctively integrated by the children, and conversely, which aspects raise questions or even cause discomfort for them. Since play is a form of socialization among children (Göncü et al., 2000; Göncü & Gaskins, 2006; Kyratzis, 2010), the analysis I propose shows how, among the Yucatecan Maya, young girls are gently guided toward what is expected for their gender, while young boys are harshly mocked if they deviate too far from their expected roles.

Paper Abstract:

My presentation will show extracts from scenes of children at play, each filmed as part of a collaborative project with them - over 1,000 hours of video have been gathered throughout the three years of the ongoing PhD research. Since socialisation here is understood as a set of communicative and linguistic practices - both verbal and gestural -, I have chosen to analyse these videos using software for analysing movements, facial expressions and language (EUDICO Linguistic Annotator). This enables me to develop an in-depth multimodal study of these practices, combining ethnography with linguistic and interactional anthropology.

Mayan societies are characterised by a clear differentiation of gender roles regarding daily activities, verbal practices, behaviours. This results in a tangible social division of labour, reflected in the gendered organisation of social and spatial life. While men enjoy greater freedom to engage in activities both within and beyond the village, women's daily practices are largely confined to the family plot. Mayan women are also prohibited to go out into the farmland during the hottest hours or often justify their movements or activities through the presence of a child. Many behaviours tolerated in men — such as a lack of reserve, speaking to strangers, or talking loudly — are particularly frowned upon in women.

I will demonstrate how children are often the first to uphold and enforce these gender norms. However, we will also observe how, depending on the context, these seemingly rigid gender rules are sometimes challenged or circumvented by children during play.