Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T22:40:27.209Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Peasant Vulnerability, Rural Masculinity and Physical Education in France, from the Early Twentieth Century to the Libération

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2014

TONY FROISSART  and
THIERRY TERRET
TONY FROISSART
Affiliation:
CRIS, University Lyon, 27-29 Bd du 11/11/1918, 69622 Villeurbanne, [email protected]
THIERRY TERRET
Affiliation:
CRIS, University Lyon, 27-29 Bd du 11/11/1918, 69622 Villeurbanne, [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

During the first third of the twentieth century in France, negative and stigmatising stereotypes of rurality, inherited mainly from the previous century, were used as arguments to justify recourse to pedagogical innovations in physical education and sport for people living in the countryside. The invention of rural vulnerability led particularly to the setting up of ‘agricultural athletics’ meetings, ‘rural athletic trail runs’ and ‘rural horse events’ by vocational organisations and associations of educators. These initiatives, carried out mainly by economic and political interests, concerned mostly men and thus contributed to defining weakened rural masculinity.

This analysis is based on evidence from articles in regional, national and specialist press, official texts and physical education manuals dealing with bodily training for country people.

Type
Research Article
Information
Rural History , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , April 2014 , pp. 61 - 77
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Notes

1. Tissié, Philippe, ‘Allocution prononcée devant les élèves de l’orphelinat de Saverdun’, Sport et santé, 93 (1936), 11Google Scholar.

2. Andrieu, Gilbert, ‘L’influence de la gymnastique suédoise sur l’éducation physique en France entre 1847 et 1914’, Stadion, XIV, 1–2 (1988), 163–80Google Scholar.

3. Rauch, André, Le souci du corps (Paris, 1983)Google Scholar.

4. Rouhet, Georges, ‘De l’entrainement considéré comme une manière générale’, La culture physique, 121 (15th January 1910), p. 42Google Scholar. On Rouhet, see especially Villaret, Sylvain, Naturisme et éducation corporelle. Des projets réformistes aux prises en compte politiques et éducatives (XIXe – milieu du XXe siècle) (Paris, 2005)Google Scholar.

5. Georges Hébert was the leader of a physical education trend known as the ‘natural method’ which was extremely influential in France during the first half of the twentieth century. See Delaplace, Jean-Michel, Georges Hébert, sculpteur de corps (Paris, 2005)Google Scholar. In this method the lesson was held either in a natural environment or on a sports field. It was based on the teaching of ten motor skills categories: walking; running; jumping; balance; quadrupedy; throwing; lifting and carrying; climbing; attack and defence; and swimming. See Hébert, Georges, L’éducation physique, virile et morale par la méthode naturelle, Volume 1: Exposé doctrinal et principes directeurs de travail (Paris, 1936)Google Scholar. Study sources are essentially taken from the national and regional press (l’Echo de Paris, L’Abeille de Seine-et-Oise, Ouest éclair), the specialist press (syndicate, sporting and physical education), Annals of the School of Agronomy in Grignon and official texts concerning physical education, as well as a corpus composed of manuals and books.

6. Quoted by Halbwachs, Maurice, Esquisse d'une psychologie des classes sociales (Paris, 1938), p. 29Google Scholar.

7. Hubscher, Ronald, ‘Réflexions sur l’identité paysanne au XIXe siècle : identité réelle ou supposée?’, Ruralia, 1 (1997), p. 3 online versionGoogle Scholar.

8. Wolff, Denis, ‘Albert Demangeon: un géographe face au monde rural’, Ruralia, 18/19 (2006)Google Scholar.

9. Hubscher, Ronald, ‘Historiens, géographes et paysans’, Ruralia, 4 (1999), p. 6 online versionGoogle Scholar.

10. Simiand, François, ‘Méthode historique et sciences sociales’, L’année sociologique, 11 (Paris, 1906–9), 723–32Google Scholar; Halbwachs, Esquisse.

11. Halbwachs, Esquisse, p. 32.

12. Rhein, Catherine, ‘La géographie, discipline scolaire et /ou science sociale? (1860/1920)’, Revue Française de Sociologie, XXIII (1982), 223–51CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

13. Arnaud, Pierre, Les savoirs du corps (Lyon 1982)Google Scholar; Francis Charpier, ‘Aux origines de la médecine du sport’ (unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Lyon, 2004).

14. Lagrange, Fernand, Physiologie des exercices du corps (Paris, 1888), p. 148Google Scholar. The book was still a basic reference in physical education during the interwar years.

15. Lagrange, Physiologie, p. 148.

16. Lagrange, Physiologie, p. 149.

17. Borish, Linda J., ‘Farm Females, Fitness, and the Ideology of Physical Health in Antebellum New England’, Agricultural History, 64: 3 (1990), 17Google Scholar.

18. Frader, Laura, ‘From Muscles to Nerves: Gender, “Race” and the Body at Work in France 1919–1939’, International Review of Social History, 44 (1999), 123–47CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Pociello, Christian, La science en mouvement. Étienne Marey et Georges Demenÿ (1870–1920) (Paris, 1999)Google Scholar.

19. Demenÿ, Georges, L’éducation de l’effort. Psychologie et physiologie (Paris, 1914), pp. 51–2Google Scholar.

20. Demenÿ, L’éducation de l’effort, p. 52.

21. Carol, Anne, Histoire de l’eugénisme en France. Les médecins et la procréation. XIXe-XXe siècles (Paris, 1995)Google Scholar.

22. Demenÿ, L’éducation de l’effort, p. 53.

23. Ministère de la Guerre [Ministry of War], Règlement général d'éducation physique. Méthode française, volume 1 (Paris, 1925)Google Scholar.

24. Ory, Pascal, La Belle Illusion. Culture et politique sous le signe du Front populaire. 1935–1938 (Paris, 1994)Google Scholar.

25. ‘Proposition de loi tendant à rendre l’éducation physique obligatoire. . .’ [Law proposal intended to make physical education compulsory. . .]’, Documents parlementaires-Sénat. (Session ord. –Session of 2 July 1937), Annex n° 424.

26. Gay-Lescot, Jean-Louis, Sport et éducation sous Vichy (1940–1944) (Lyon, 1991)Google Scholar.

27. Vuillemin, Roger, L’Education Physique et la jeunesse rurale (Paris, 1944), p. 24Google Scholar.

28. Ibid.

29. Vuillemin. L’Education Physique, p. 26.

30. Vuillemin. L’Education Physique. p. 45.

31. Urdank, Albion M., ‘The Rationalisation of Rural Sport: British Sheepdog Trials, 1873–1946’, Rural History, 17: 1 (2006), 65–82CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Hofmann, Annette, ‘Sheep, Shepherds and the Stubble Field: Traditions and Transformations at the Markröninger Schäferlauf’, in Pfister, Gertrud, ed., Games of the Past - Sports for the Future? Globalisation, Diversification (Sankt Augustin, 2004), pp. 96–102Google Scholar.

32. A. Monmirel [no title], L’Action Agricole, 2 (13th January 1926).

33. Dunning, Eric, ‘Sport as a Male Preserve: Notes on the Social Sources of Masculinity and its Transformations’, in Elias, Norbert, Dunning, Eric, eds, Quest for Excitement: Sport and Leisure in the Civilizing Process (Oxford, 1986), 267–83Google Scholar.

34. L’Action Agricole, 2 (13th January 1926).

35. ‘La décadence des campagnes: l’orgie rurale’, l’Auto (31st January 1926).

36. Terret, Thierry, ‘Sport et masculinité: une revue de questions’, STAPS 25, 66 (2004), 209–25CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

37. Candau, Jacqueline, Rémy, Jacques, ‘Sociabilités rurales. Les agriculteurs et les autres’, Études rurales, 183: 1 (2009), 83–100Google Scholar; Champagne, Patrick, ‘Les paysans à la plage’, Actes de la Recherche en Sciences Sociales, 2 (1975), 43–67CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

38. Mavré, Marcel, Attelages et attelées. Un siècle d'utilisation du cheval de trait (Paris, 2004), p. 145Google Scholar.

39. See the series of papers by Louis Miquel entitled ‘La cavalerie rurale en France’ in La Bretagne hippique agricole et économique, from 9th November 1935; Louis Miquel, ‘La cavalerie rurale en France-2’, La Bretagne hippique agricole et économique (21st November 1935); Louis Miquel, ‘Les sociétés hippiques rurales’, La Bretagne hippique agricole et économique (12th December 1936).

40. For a description of these games, see Froissart, Tony, L’Impasse du sport rural (Besançon, 2007), pp. 164–6Google Scholar.

41. Statement of de Broglie, D., Secretary of the Société Hippique Rurale of the Lion d'Angers, quoted in L’Education Physique, 51 (1939), p. 172Google Scholar.

42. ‘L’avenir des sociétés hippiques rurales’, La Bretagne hippique agricole et économique (20th June).

43. Y. Duigou, La Bretagne hippique agricole et économique (8th June 1935).

44. Louis Miquel, ‘Les sociétés hippiques rurales’, La Bretagne hippique agricole et économique (14th November 1936)

45. Terret, Thierry, ‘Le Groupement hébertiste (1937–1945) ou l’institutionnalisation d'un idéal’, in Arnaud, Pierre, Terret, Thierry, Gros, Pierre, Saint-Martin, Jean, eds, Le sport et les Français pendant l’Occupation (Paris, 2002), 133–50Google Scholar; ‘Un parcours rural d'athlétisme’, L’Éducation physique, 7 (1948), 106.

46. Froissart, L’Impasse, p. 157.

47. Ct Stéphani, ‘L’éducation physique du paysan’, L’Education physique, 40 (1936), 273.

48. Ibid.

49. Hébert, L’Éducation physique.

50. Ct Stéphani, ‘L’éducation physique du paysan (suite)’, L’Education physique, 41 (1937), 32.

51. Cardi, François, ‘Durkheim, les paysans, l’école’, Revue française de pédagogie, 158 (janvier février mars 2007), p. 22Google Scholar.

52. ‘Championnat national d'athlétisme agricole’, L’Action agricole. Journal régional agricole de l’Ile de France 25 (24th June 1925).

53. Ibid.

54. ‘Le Championnat d'athlétisme agricole’, L’Action agricole. Journal régional agricole de l’Ile de France 21 (27th mai 1925).

55. Ibid.

56. Ibid.

57. The status of the last two members was not given.

58. Louis Miquel, La Bretagne hippique, agricole et économique (20th November 1937).

59. Ibid.

60. L’Action agricole 39 (30th September 1925). The article deals with a ploughing event which was part of the agricultural athletics competitions.

61. Ringelmann, Max, ‘L’homme considéré comme moteur’, Annales de l’Institut national agronomique (école normale supérieure de l’agriculture), 33 (1930), 10–36Google Scholar.

62. Ringelmann, ‘L’homme considéré comme moteur’, p. 15.

63. Ibid.

64. Ringelmann, Max, ‘Rapport sur les machines agricoles, Exposition internationale de Chicago en 1893’, in Krantz, C., Rapports Ministère du Commerce, de l’Industrie, des postes et des télégraphes (Paris, 1894), p. 11Google Scholar (figure 2), p. 13 (figures 5 and 6), p. 14 (figure 7).

65. L’Action agricole, 39 (30th September 1925).

66. These ‘concours de majorations’ consisted of horse riding performances in front of a special jury, in order to measure the value of the horses before their sale.

67. Hébert, Georges, L’Education physique féminine. Muscle et beauté plastique (Paris, 1919), p. 66Google Scholar.

68. Saint-Martin, Jean-Philippe, Terret, Thierry, eds, Sport et genre, volume 3: Apprentissage du genre et institutions éducatives (Paris, 2005)Google Scholar.

69. Ibid.

70. Leprieur, François (ed.), JAC/MRJC, origines et mutation. Un mouvement de jeunesse au cœur de la société française (Lyon, 1996)Google Scholar.

71. Gervais, Michel, Jollivet, Marc, Tavernier, Yves, La fin de la France paysanne depuis 1914 (Paris, 1977), pp. 354–5Google Scholar.

72. Ct Stéphani, ‘L’éducation physique du paysan (suite)’, L’Education physique, 41 (1937).

73. Connell, Robert W., Masculinities (Berkeley and Los Angeles: CA, 1995)Google Scholar.