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Exploring an Unmapped Physical Culture Landscape in Colonial South Africa

2020; Routledge; Volume: 37; Issue: 14 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/09523367.2020.1835867

1743-9035

Francois Johannes Cleophas,

Sports, Gender, and Society

Physical culture is a health and strength training movement that originated during the 19th century. This area of study has been neglected within the South African context. This was because the dominant view in South African academia, expressed by the physical educationist, Claude Smit, centred around an entrenched belief that physical culturists regarded strong muscles as the sole outcome of physical activity. Therefore, Smit argued, they only concerned themselves with the physical aspects of physiology and anatomy without taking into account any educational principles. Further, its main concern was with programmes of physical training, sold to the broader public, on the pretext that it had certain health benefits.1 This study shows otherwise and that physical culture in circus, theatres and Eugen Sandow’s visit to South Africa was part of a (mostly invisible) web between pedagogy, entertainment and colonial prejudices.