Towards a neo-'athleticism': Mangan, masculinity and schooling

J.A. Mangan’s work has long been recognized as providing a strong stimulus to further historical investigation of the complex and highly nuanced inter-relationships between athleticism, masculinity and education. This paper explores his work on masculinity, and suggests some of the more fruitful ways in which his work can be taken forward. Recent work has shown, for example, the multiple masculinities that emerge in educational contexts in private and state schools and universities, moving beyond athleticism to explore their other dimensions. The sociology of the body has stimulated research on embodiment, queer studies and sexuality which can certainly be applied to schooling. Masculinity and femininity are both aspects of gender order and inter-related. Recent feminist work can be helpfully drawn on to examine male-female relationships inside and outside schools in terms of boys’ masculinity constructions. Finally, the history of the relationship between masculinity, sport and religion, and the way sporting space has been gendered are further areas worthy of more research.