Subjectivities and control devices for the female body during the genesis of the modern gymnasium

Abstract

Introduction. The nineteenth century is the period when the gymnastics systems were constructed. Western women were gradually included in the gymnastic practices, be they educational, hygienic or recreational. Objectives. The aim of this study is to discover the discourses by the powers of masculinity that made the gymnasium and the gymnastic practices a device for feminisation, specifically in the case of Spain. Methodology. A historicist methodology is used, specifically using a documentalist process, text analysis, and also a review of other studies which offer a contextual interpretation. Results. The paper concludes by arguing that the process of including nineteenth century women in gymnastic practices was conditioned by the underlying discourses of masculinity, which hid the fears of a society that they believed was in decline. Discussion. In the gymnasium of the 19th century, the female body became an entity guarded by the dominion of men who sought the health of women to protect their offspring. With this, the gymnasium was configured as a facultative domination center where the female body was subjected to examination, articulating an ontological perversion of the female reality.