Body, corporeality and education: A reflective look from Physical Education

Abstract

The treatment traditionally attributed to the body in educational institutions has been reduced to the motor field through the teaching of a curricular discipline, Physical Education, which has been characterized as a mechanistic and technical subject, influenced by hegemonic rationalist culture that predominates in Western society. In this paper, we begin by going through the main historical conceptions of the body to propose, from a critical analysis of it in the educational field, the reconsideration of the pedagogical value of the corporal through the conception of corporeality. From this perspective, the purpose of this reflection is to show the importance of ‘incorporating’ theoretical and practical developments on body and corporeality, with the aim of achieving an approach towards a holistic education, as well as breaking away from more traditional the approaches to the body that remain established in the educational field and reproduced through our subject.