The schooling of physical education: an analysis of five images published in the Barcelona press at the beginning of the 20th century (1910-1913)

Abstract: Massive childhood education and different schooling regimes have institutionalized academic subjects for the rapid formation of citizens. One of these subjects was physical education, which was conceived as a disciplinary device for indoctrination. The aim of this work was to analyze, from a Critical Theory perspective, some images related to school physical education published in the Barcelonian press of the early 20th century. Through the images, we visualize the advancement of physical education at the time and present the proportion of ‘devices’ (knowledge/power techniques) that shaped in the collective imagination the idea of a modern and necessary subject for social and national construction.

Keywords:
Spain; Foucault; gymnastics; capitalism