Dr Anell Stacey Daries delivered a provocative lecture on the intersections of physical education, nationalism, and the body, focusing on the role of the Physical Training Battalion in shaping ideals of citizenship in mid-twentieth-century South Africa. Drawing from archival material and historical analysis, she examined how state-driven efforts sought to inscribe national ideals onto the physical form, particularly within the white male population.

The lecture opened with a reflection on South Africa’s First Congress for Physical Education in 1945, a gathering aimed at standardising physical education and reinforcing its role in national development. A particularly striking anecdote from the congress illustrated the way in which childhood physical training was framed as essential preparation for life and nationhood. A speech by A A Roberts likened a young Boer boy, armed and prepared for war, to the broader necessity of equipping South African youth with the tools to navigate life’s challenges. This analogy underscored the belief that a strong nation was built on physically capable citizens.

Dr Daries contextualised the emergence of the Physical Training Battalion within broader social and political anxieties. The rise of white poverty, particularly in the wake of the 1932 Carnegie Commission Report, spurred state interventions designed to rehabilitate and strengthen white men. “In efforts to produce citizens, national ideals were to be imprinted onto the very bodies of young white men and boys,” she explained. The battalion accepted recruits aged fifteen to thirty-five who were deemed physically unfit, aiming to transform them into capable labourers and soldiers. The idea that individual willpower could be cultivated through rigorous physical training permeated the battalion’s philosophy, positioning the body as both a site of discipline and a tool for economic and military preparedness.

Central to the battalion’s pedagogical approach was the notion of balance between mind and body. Daniel ‘Danie’ Hartman Craven, who served as the battalion’s commanding officer, articulated this vision by quoting Plato: “Give me gymnastics for the body and music for the soul.” Craven asserted that the goal was not merely to create strong bodies but to cultivate disciplined minds, reinforcing the belief that physical capability was intrinsically linked to national identity. He structured the battalion around four key pillars: remedial training, education, military preparation, and character building. These pillars reflected a broader project of social engineering that sought to define ideal citizenship through bodily training. Dr Daries noted that “the battalion moralised physical capability and mental attitude,” adding that “this process was never just about fitness, but about embedding a particular ideology of citizenship.”

The discussion expanded to consider how whiteness was constructed through these physical education practices. Dr Daries traced the ways in which physical education functioned as a mechanism for social separation. She observed “while poverty affected South Africans across social strata, white poverty was catapulted to the forefront of national anxieties.” The battalion, while framed as an institution for physical rehabilitation, also served to distinguish whiteness from other racial identities. This process of physical and moral refinement was part of a larger strategy to uphold white supremacy under the guise of national development.

Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela’s contributions to the conversation illuminated the continuity of these ideologies into the apartheid era and beyond. She raised the question of how physical training, initially implemented to fortify white bodies, evolved into broader frameworks of racial separation and privilege. She observed that the emphasis on strengthening the white body extended beyond physical education and into the military and economic spheres, reinforcing structural inequalities. The discussion also touched on the implications of these historical processes in contemporary South Africa, particularly in relation to how masculinity and nationalism continue to be intertwined.

Audience engagement further enriched the discussion, with questions exploring the legacy of physical education in shaping contemporary ideas of masculinity and national identity. One participant noted the persistence of militarised language in everyday discourse, particularly in how men understand their roles within relationships and society. Another raised concerns about how the values instilled in the battalion may have influenced later generations, particularly those who served in the South African Defence Force during the apartheid era.

A particularly striking moment in the discussion revolved around Danie Craven’s influence beyond the PTB and into broader institutional structures, such as Wilgenhof, a residence at Stellenbosch University known for its deeply ingrained traditions. Participants reflected on how the hierarchical value system cultivated in the battalion found echoes in Wilgenhof’s culture, reinforcing ideas of discipline, toughness, and exclusivity. Additionally, the conversation addressed the exclusion of women from these physical training programmes and the ways in which their roles were confined to moral and reproductive responsibilities. Dr Daries remarked, “when we speak about physical education, particularly in this era, we must also interrogate who was left out. Women were not considered in the same ways as men, as their roles were largely relegated to ensuring the moral wellbeing of the nation rather than engaging in physical strengthening themselves.”

Dr Daries reflected on these continuities, emphasising that while historical contexts change, the legacy of physical education as a tool for shaping national identity endures. She highlighted the ways in which history is often used to legitimise present-day narratives, cautioning against simplistic comparisons while advocating for a nuanced understanding of the past’s influence on the present. She said “we need to understand how history is layered. “These systems do not simply vanish; they transform and take new shapes, influencing the world around us in ways we may not always immediately recognise.”

The lecture left the audience with a deeper appreciation of the intersections between the body, identity, and state power. Through meticulous historical analysis and critical discussion, Dr Daries provided a compelling examination of how physical education was wielded as a tool of nationalism and how its legacies continue to shape contemporary discourse on citizenship and race in South Africa.