Primo appuntamento del ciclo di incontri La guerra nelle culture europee, organizzati dall'Area Lingue del Dipartimento A.L.E.F.

Relatore: Enrico Martines (Università di Parma)

Luogo: Aula Miazzi del Plesso di viale San Michele (Viale San Michele, 9)

Abstract

The phenomenon of modern sports began in the public schools of the Victorian age, where games came to be a fundamental tool in the education of the young men from the ruling classes. Many of those boys were destined to the military service, where they would form the élite of the British troops defending the Kingdom and the Empire. Sports ethics were influenced by this social and ideological background: sport was a metaphor for war and a preparation to it. The identification of games and military endeavour was at its closest during the First World War. This lecture will examine how such beliefs were utilized by sports organizations and the impact they had on the military and on society as a whole, focusing on the most enthusiastic and committed sporting supporters of the war effort: rugby union, cricket and football. References will be made to literary texts on this subject.

Informazioni: prof.ssa Gioia Angeletti | gioia.angeletti@unipr.it