Hannah Arendt in the gym: Physical education as bodily Bildung

This article applies ideas from Hannah Arendt to propose solutions to two contemporary crises in physical education. The first crisis concerns the identity of the subject and its unidimensional content. The second crisis stems from the subject’s detachment from the world, in tandem with curricula increasingly focusing on individual competencies while paying less attention to the shared world pupils are to be introduced to. We argue that Arendt’s analysis of the Vita Activa and her educational ideas can offer insight into these crises and inform new solutions. Arendt’s exploration of Vita Activa in The Human Condition can provide a framework for reimagining physical education, orienting it towards three fundamental forms of activity (labor, work and action), while her essay on The Crisis in Education can offer a counter-narrative to individualistic, competence-based approaches. We employ a Bildung perspective to apply her ideas to questions concerning physical education. More specifically, we propose that taking Arendt into the gym can substantiate an understanding of physical education as bodily Bildung. In doing so, we aim to offer a fresh philosophical perspective on the school subject relevant to educational research, policy development and practice.