On Dandyism and Care of the Self: A Genealogy of College Exercise

• In Event: 52.066 - Foucault, Postfoundations, and the Complexities of Contemporary Educational Experiences

Abstract

During the 19th century, college institutions expanded their purview and reigned in the body. Though many historians have detailed this expansion, their histories predominately land within a progressive-humanistic tradition. In this paper, we complicated these histories while conducting a Foucauldian-inspired genealogy of bodily care in school. Heavily influenced by Michel Foucualt’s genealogical methodologies and theories, we analyzed an article published at the onset of university’s adoption and permittance of physical education and exercise. Our analysis uncovered narratives that challenge progressive-humanistic histories on the period, as well as reveal alternative ways of caring for and fashioning our bodies. Ultimately, this paper both adds to and complicates scholarly literature on the history of physical education, exercise, and self-care.

Authors

• Tim Wells, Arizona State University

• David L. Carlson, Arizona State University