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Call for papers

Discrimination and Inclusion

The Organisation of Sport and Physical Education in Europe

from Antiquity to Modern Times

Presentation of the conference topic

The aim of the 29^th CESH Congress, to be held from 16 to 18 June 2026 at the University of Rouen Normandy, is to examine the conditions under which sport and physical education have proved to be a powerful vehicle for discrimination, inequality and exclusion throughout history, and also the ways and means of making them a place to combat these inequalities and discriminations. Indeed, sport and physical education, which are tools for strengthening individuals morally and physically, are often perceived and presented as strictly virtuous activities, both for individuals and for communities. However, any sports and PE historian knows that sport and physical education, as cultural products rooted in history, largely reproduce social tensions and injustices. The aim of the Rouen conference is to question how physical practices have been organised over time according to processes that contribute to the discrimination or inclusion of participants.

If we go back to the origins of modern sport, we cannot help but notice that sport, which emerged in Great Britain in the 17^th c. and was structured in the 19^th c., is a tool that has contributed to the affirmation of elites, particularly male elites, and the reproduction of social hierarchy (Eisenberg, 1999; Collins, 2013; Holt, 2025). The distinction between amateurs and professionals was thus a powerful tool of distinction that marked the development of sport, and in particular the International Olympic Committee (Guttmann, 1984; Carpentier, 2004). Furthermore, the history of sport practiced by women illustrates how gender discrimination is inherent in the world of sport (Zweiniger-Bargielowska, 2010; Castan-Vicente, 2025). Sport has also played a unique role in the construction of nations and national identities (Krüger A. 1975; Cronin, 1999; Marschik, 1999; Koulouri, 2000; Balbier, 2007; Grant, 2013; Dufraisse, 2019). The ‘values’ attributed to sport therefore do not exist in themselves. They are largely promoted in line with political ambitions, for example during sporting events (Rossol, 2010; Clastres, 2025). Sports organisations, which set rules that are inherently discriminatory, are an expression of the questionings and power struggles within sport. More broadly, they reflect social hierarchies and sensibilities and conceptions of equality (Lanfranchi et al., 2004; Bailey, 2008; Gounot, 2016; Gallois, 2025). The same applies to the layout of the spaces used for sporting activities (Nielsen, 2002; Bolz, 2008).

Similarly, various theories of physical education in Europe have consistently referred to social objectives to legitimise their usefulness in building a nation or a smaller group (Ulmann, 1997). More generally, the issue of discrimination and inclusion has been a recurring theme in debates on physical culture over the long term. In ancient Greece, then in the Middle Ages and the modern period, participation in various competitions was reserved for certain categories of men, and social class determined access to many physical activities (Finley & Pleket, 1976). Since the Age of Enlightenment, different theories of physical education have increasingly responded to specific societal and economic needs in European countries (Teja, 1995; Saint-Martin, 2005). The massification of primary education in Western societies went hand in hand with attempts at strict control, for example in the case of the affirmation of national identity (Krüger M., 1996; Curran, 2022) or in the case of totalitarian regimes with extremely violent discriminatory policies (Fabrizio, 1976; Bahro, 2013; Fonzo, 2023).

However, physical activities have also been used as a tool to fight inequality and discrimination, helping to highlight injustices and actions to combat them (Rossi, 1998). Commitments in this area illustrate the malleability of sport and physical activities.

Themes of the conference

Although the Rouen conference is primarily aimed at historians, we also wish to involve researchers from other disciplines (sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists, literature specialists, etc.) whose works address the issue of discrimination in sport over time. Presentations may focus on case studies – relating to any historical period – or offer more general analyses. Papers are invited to address the following themes:

Topic 1: Political and ideological aspects of discrimination and inclusion in physical activities

-       Theories of sport and physical education: models and circulation

-       Sport in authoritarian and totalitarian regimes in Europe and their international influence

-       Policies for the development of sport and physical education for all: national programmes, private initiatives, regional specificities, etc.

-       Actors in sport and physical education: staging and media coverage, life trajectories, privileges, etc.

Topic 2: Biological, gender and racial dimensions of discrimination and inclusion in physical activities

-       Gender inequalities and violence: male domination, women's sport, sexual and sexist violence, etc.

-       Racial and biological discrimination: segregation in sport, the biological identity of male and female athletes, etc.

-       Accessibility of sport and physical education for people with disabilities

Topic 3: Cultural and social issues in discrimination and inclusion in physical activities

-       Sport as a tool for affirming identities: elitism in sport, working-class sport, social distinctions between male and female athletes, etc.

-       Artistic representations of physical practices: painting, sculpture, architecture, symbols, objects, etc.

-       The organisation of physical education and sport for pupils in and outside school: physical education programmes, lesson organisation, school and university sport, etc.

-       The fight against inequalities and stereotypes in sport and physical education: the aims of physical activity, campaigns to combat inequalities, etc.

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