A liberal and bourgeois form of association: an analysis of the statutes of gymnastics associations in the 19th century

Abstract

This article aims to explore the educational and training objectives of the gymnastics associations established in Italy in the second half of the nineteenth century. The aim is to understand the distribution of these associations and their role as “parastatal agents” in spreading the values of the bourgeois civilization that began to characterize Italy in the Liberal Age. The contribution will draw on the analysis of a historical source that so far has been overlooked by historical-educational studies, namely the statutes of gymnastics associations preserved in Italian archives and libraries.