“Un-Irish and un-Catholic”: sports,physical education and girls’ schooling

ABSTRACT

This article charts the development of physical education and sports in girls’ schools in Ireland during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It notes how early developments were undoubtedly influenced by traditions and practices in English public schools, with games such as hockey and cricket becoming popular in Irish girls’ schools. The “Swedish” gymnastics movement, which became popular the 1870s, led to the introduction of callisthenics and drill in many Irish schools. By the turn of the twentieth century, drill and dance displays had become a highlight in the convent school calendar of events. Official policy following the introduction of the Revised Programme for National Schools (1900) placed unprecedented emphasis on the importance of physical education. While many embraced these developments, others were critical of girls’ involvement in competitive games and sports, particularly those considered “foreign” and “un-Irish”. Drawing on convent school archives, official sources, and newspaper articles, this article provides new insights into the evolution of physical education and sports in Irish girls’ schools.     

Race,culture, and national identity

Wade, Peter. Blackness and Race Mixture: The Dynamics of Racial Identity in Colombia. Baltimore, MD; Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993. xv + 415 pp. including appendices, references, and index. $58.00 cloth.

Wetherell, Margaret and Jonathan Potter. Mapping the Language of Racism: Discourse and the Legitimation of Exploitation. New York: Columbia University Press, 1992. ix + 246 pp. including appendices, references, and index. $45.00 cloth, $15.00 paper.     

On the Road and on their Own: Autonomy and giving in home health care in Quebec

The reorganization of health care in Quebec, as in the rest of Canada, has helped reinforce inequities based on gender, race, ethnic status, etc. in employment in this field. Home health care workers in Quebec, called auxiliaires, are mostly women, frequently immigrants, and often immigrant women of colour. Their jobs are low status and badly paid, yet auxiliaires express a high degree of attachment to the work and find it highly rewarding. We suggest this is largely due to the worker's mobility and physical distance from the institutions that employ them; this allows them considerable autonomy and gives them the freedom to provide service beyond the requirements of the job. Drawing on recent analyses of Mauss' notion of the gift, as well as Tronto and others, we look at ‘giving’ in home health care, and its implications for the workers.

En el camino y estar solo: Autonomía y Regalando en el cuidado de salud en casa en Quebec

La reorganización del sistema de salud en Québec, como en el resto de Canadá, ha ayudado reiterar las inigualdades de género, raíz, etnicidad, etcétera, en el empleo de salud. La mayoría de los trabajadores de salud en Québec—que se llaman ‘auxiliaires’—son mujeres y muchas veces inmigrantes y además, mujeres inmigrantes de color. Su trabajo se considera como estatus inferior y tiene salario bajo, sin embargo ‘auxiliaires’ declaran un apego significativo al trabajo y lo encuentran gratificante. Sugerimos que el apego y gratificación se resultan de la movilidad de las trabajadoras y sus distantes físicos de la institución; ésta situación las permite una autonomía considerable y como consecuencia tienen ellas la libertad para proveer asistencia por encima de los requisitos del trabajo. Usando unos análisis recientes de la noción del regalo de Gauss, además de Tronto y otros, examinamos ‘regalar’ en el cuidado de salud en casa y las implicaciones para las trabajadoras.