Between Barracks School and Republican School. The Case of Argentine Physical Education between Late 19th and Early 20th Century

Abstract

At the end of the 19^th century, against the backdrop of an increasingly militaristic atmosphere and the consolidation of the Argentine nation-state, the reorganization of the national army, the instruction of its soldiers, the practice of gymnastics and the education of healthy young boys were understood in connection with broader Argentine nation-building and its affirmation as a nation in the making. Physical training, military gymnastics, school battalions and shooting practices were deemed indispensable by certain social sectors, the best means of passing on so-called moral, masculine and patriotic values. One of the social institutions selected for this task was the school. In this socio-political scenario, military exercises —not entirely free of social contestation— were included in the subject of Physical Education between the late 19^th and early 20^th century. This modality of gymnastics was aimed solely at young boys and contributed enormously to the formation of male character, the soldier-citizen being the regulative ideal to be achieved. Strict compliance with military rules in Physical Education classes conformed a set of habits intended to turn young boys into living robots responsive exclusively to a commanding voice. This view had both opponents and detractors. A large sector of the teaching community and a number of prestigious pedagogues opposed military gymnastics, school battalions and shooting practices in schools. This contestation implied not only the questioning of certain physical exercises and the way they were carried out but, fundamentally, of a certain view on patriotism, discipline, pedagogy, childcare and the means through which young boys were turned into “real” men or citizens. Bearing this in mind, this paper will approach —from both social and cultural history— the different meanings that were passed on, produced and reproduced from the platform of Physical Education regarding the different conceptualizations about how society was supposed to be structured, what was meant by “nation”, “citizenship”, “pedagogy” and the school as institution and which features defined “true” masculinity.