Niels Bukh’s gymnastics in Argentinian Physical Education. an analysis of translations in the instances of debates and local curricular production (1938–1956)

Abstract

In September 1938, as part of an extensive tour of South America that included stops in Brazil and Uruguay, Niels Bukh, a renowned Danish gymnastics expert, visited Argentina with his team of male gymnasts. Invited by the Gimnasia y Esgrima Club of Buenos Aires, Bukh’s mission was to conduct practical classes and conferences. This visit did not go unnoticed by the general and specialized press, which extensively covered and praised the gymnastic and sporting events held. In the following years, the Danish approach played a fundamental role in disciplinary debates in the country: its books were translated, brochures explaining the method were published in specialized journals, several of its principles were discussed at conferences, training courses were given, part of this educational proposal was institutionalized in the National Institutes of Physical Education and the Army´s military regulations were updated based on its practices, among many other influences. The consolidation of Danish fundamental gymnastics in Argentina coincided with the rapid decline or questioning of Bukh´s work in Denmark after World War II, due to his ties with Nazism. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the translation processes of Niels Bukh´s work in Argentina during the 1938–1956 period. To this end, we will adopt a socio-historical perspective of Physical Education, with an emphasis on the social history of knowledge and experts, focusing analytical attention on the translations produced by local actors within the framework of transnational educational processes.