Co-creating a Rooted Herstory: Participatory practice with primary school children, and the case of Anne Livingstone, Countess of Kilmarnock

Abstract

This article explores the development of a new herstorical play co-created with primary school children in Kilmarnock, Scotland. The play, which centred on the life of Countess Anne Livingstone Boyd, was produced through a series of workshops with the children and facilitated by the author. The process of exploring herstory with school children is the principal focus of this article. Through an exploration of methods and responses from participants, the author suggests key principles for the planning and delivery of such creative work in the primary classroom, and how these can be understood within a new framework termed rooted herstory.