This essay reconstructs the series of events that led to introduction of gymnastics in Milan single-sex primary schools immediately after Unification – that is, before the De Sanctis Law of 1878 made it compulsory – reflecting the local traditions pre-Unification and interest in the teachings of R. Obermann in Turin. The research takes advantage of contemporary printed and archival sources, such as City Council minutes and agendas, statements by key players, articles extracted from eminent education journals, for example ‘Patria e Famiglia’ and ‘L’Educatore Italiano’. It shows the consideration given by the City of Milan of gymnastics as an educational tool at a time when most City Councils were experiencing difficulties and delegated the responsibility of such instruction to gymnastic clubs. As this research suggests, throughout the 1860s, not only did the City Council of Milan introduce the practice of physical exercise in primary schools, it also encouraged training of teachers, sending them to dedicated government-organized courses in Turin. Moreover, in order to create adequate practice spaces, the City Council of Milan established a public gymnasium that soon became a meeting place for gymnasts and an endorsement of gymnastics in contemporary society. By teaching gymnastics, which had a strong military connotation, the City Council of Milan complemented its primary school teaching programs, promoting the physical and moral regeneration of its citizens so as to prepare younger generations to face their civic duties – especially the males, who had to become the soldiers of the newly born nation.

Il saggio ricostruisce le vicende che portarono il Comune di Milano a introdurre la ginnastica nelle scuole elementari, maschili e femminili, subito dopo l’Unità, ovvero prima che la Legge De Sanctis del 1878 ne prevedesse l’obbligatorietà, tra attenzioni alla tradizione preunitaria locale e interesse per il magistero torinese di R. Obermann. La ricerca si avvale di documentazione a stampa e archivistica coeva, quali le discussioni in Consiglio comunale, le testimonianze dei protagonisti, gli articoli di alcune autorevoli riviste educative, in specie «Patria e Famiglia» e «L’Educatore Italiano». Essa documenta la sollecitudine dell’amministrazione milanese per la ginnastica educativa, che spicca in un quadro di delega delle autorità governative alle Società ginniche e di oggettive difficoltà delle municipalità. Nel corso degli anni Sessanta, infatti, il Comune non solo avviò gli esercizi ginnici nelle elementari, ma si prodigò per la formazione dei maestri e delle maestre, inviandoli agli appositi corsi governativi creati a Torino, e per la creazione di spazi adeguati, istituendo una Palestra civica che fu luogo di aggregazione dei ginnasti e di irradiazione della ginnastica nella società del tempo. All’insegnamento ginnico, che aveva una chiara connotazione militare, il Comune di Milano affidava il compito di completare l’azione educativa della scuola elementare, promuovendo la rigenerazione fisica e morale del popolo per preparare le giovani generazioni ai propri doveri di cittadini e, se maschi, di soldati nella nuova nazione.

Ghizzoni, C. F., La ginnastica nelle scuole primarie milanesi nel primo decennio postunitario, <<HISTORY OF EDUCATION & CHILDREN'S LITERATURE>>, 2014; IX (2): 549-577 [http://hdl.handle.net/10807/64095]

La ginnastica nelle scuole primarie milanesi nel primo decennio postunitario

Ghizzoni, Carla Francesca
2014

Abstract

This essay reconstructs the series of events that led to introduction of gymnastics in Milan single-sex primary schools immediately after Unification – that is, before the De Sanctis Law of 1878 made it compulsory – reflecting the local traditions pre-Unification and interest in the teachings of R. Obermann in Turin. The research takes advantage of contemporary printed and archival sources, such as City Council minutes and agendas, statements by key players, articles extracted from eminent education journals, for example ‘Patria e Famiglia’ and ‘L’Educatore Italiano’. It shows the consideration given by the City of Milan of gymnastics as an educational tool at a time when most City Councils were experiencing difficulties and delegated the responsibility of such instruction to gymnastic clubs. As this research suggests, throughout the 1860s, not only did the City Council of Milan introduce the practice of physical exercise in primary schools, it also encouraged training of teachers, sending them to dedicated government-organized courses in Turin. Moreover, in order to create adequate practice spaces, the City Council of Milan established a public gymnasium that soon became a meeting place for gymnasts and an endorsement of gymnastics in contemporary society. By teaching gymnastics, which had a strong military connotation, the City Council of Milan complemented its primary school teaching programs, promoting the physical and moral regeneration of its citizens so as to prepare younger generations to face their civic duties – especially the males, who had to become the soldiers of the newly born nation.
2014
Italiano
Ghizzoni, C. F., La ginnastica nelle scuole primarie milanesi nel primo decennio postunitario, <<HISTORY OF EDUCATION & CHILDREN'S LITERATURE>>, 2014; IX (2): 549-577 [http://hdl.handle.net/10807/64095]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10807/64095
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