Introduction

This introductory chapter presents the field of the playful university and the role of playfulness in reimagining universities which is at the heart of The Playful University book. It highlights the growing interest in playful higher education in recent years, which has emerged as a remedy to battle issues within the current neoliberal framework, and explores possibilities of building institutions that prioritize curiosity, creativity, and communality. Despite the field's vibrant and imperative future, there is a need to solidify playful higher education philosophically and theoretically to ensure its thorough establishment. This is the aim of The Playful University book, and its chapter sections on Philosophy, Pedagogy, Politics, and Principles. The introductory chapter sets the scene concerning the role of play, playfulness, and playful education in higher education and the need to solidify it philosophically and theoretically to ensure that the integration of playfulness into higher education is thoroughly established.