Desire for Society, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1996
Children's Knowledge as Social Imagination

'A powerful, integrative, and insightful theory of society.'-Jack Meacham, State University of New York, Buffalo This provocative work presents a unified and scientifically grounded new theory on the development of society, namely, that the imaginary play of children reflects an endogenous orientation toward the construction of society. In twelve studies, Furth combines delightful observations of young children's spontaneous actions and interactions with lucid descriptions of complex psychological theories-including those of Piaget, Freud, Lacan, and Marxist scholars.

Prelude: The Genesis of History in the Mind of Children. Introduction: Instituting Society: The Developmental Thesis. THE EVIDENCE: EMPIRICAL STUDIES OF CHILDREN'S SOCIETAL GRASP: Children Playing Society. Coconstructing Social Reality. Culture and Pretend Play: Zulu Children at Play. Peer Society. Peer Culture. Society and Speechforself. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: STUDIES FROM RELATED FIELDS: From Anthropology: Children Making History. From Psychoanalysis: Jacques Lacan on the Child's Entry into the Symbolic Order. From Ethology: Communication and Society. THEORIES OF SOCIETY: Developmental Perspectives. Political Perspectives. Marxist Cultural Perspectives. CONCLUSION: The Grasp for Society. The Plot of the Mental Object Capacity: There Is More to Piaget's Permanent Object than Meets the Eye. Postlude: The Nightmare of History. Index.