Play and Democracy

Alice Koubova is a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Philosophy at the Czech Academy of Sciences, and an Associate Professor and the Vice-Dean for Research at the Theatre Faculty, Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Czech Republic. Her main research interests range from performance philosophy to relational ethics and policies in art. She combines her theoretical research with dramaturgical practice and cooperation with public institutions.

Petr Urban is a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Philosophy at the Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic. His work focuses on moral and political theory of care, public ethics and phenomenological philosophy. He led a project on ethical culture in the Czech civil service and has been engaged in collaboration with governmental institutions including revising related policy documents in the Czech Republic.

Wendy Russell is an independent researcher into children's play and playwork and a Visiting Fellow at the University of Gloucestershire, UK. Her research focuses on supporting children's right to play, particularly in terms of the politics of space, policy and ethics. She is a co-founder of the biennial international Philosophy at Play conferences and on the editorial board of the International Journal of Play.

Malcolm MacLean is a settler scholar and interdisciplinary historian whose research focuses on the political, cultural and social experience and identities associated with sport and play. His work focuses on developing a "subaltern view", emphasizing ordinary experiences of cultural and social life, with an emphasis on power, resistance, struggle and the identities related to those experiences. He is a co-founder of the biennial Philosophy at Play conferences. He maintains academic affiliations at The University of Queensland, Australia, De Montfort University, UK, and the University of Gibraltar.