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Muscularity, the habitus and the social construction of gender: towards a gender-relevant physical education

  • David Kirk
    ,
  • Trish Gorely
    ,
  • Rachel Holroyd
Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Abstract

This paper begins to develop the concept of gender-relevant physical education, combining the work of Pierre Bourdieu and his notion of the habitus and feminist philosopher Iris Marion Young's analysis of feminine motility. It draws on data generated from a study of young people's articulation of the relationships between muscularity, physicality and gender. The social construction of the body has been of central importance to the construction of femininities and masculinities, and has formed an enduring meta-theme through much of the research on physical education and gender. We build on the young people's insights to argue that Bourdieu's notions of the habitus and the exchange of physical capital provide a useful means of conceptualizing issues of embodiment and gender in school physical education and sport. We conclude by sketching an outline of gender-relevant physical education as a process of interrupting the habitus.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Original language

English

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 429-448

Journal (Volume, Issue Number)

British Journal of Sociology of Education (Volume 24, Issue 4)

Publication milestones

  • Published - 01/07/2003

Publication status

Published - 01/07/2003

ISSN

0142-5692

External Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/233633
  • Scopus: 0141430905

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