Concept of «physical culture »: The evolution of visions

Objective of the study was to identify the factors that have influenced the formation and development of the interpretations of the concept «physical culture» in English-speaking countries from the 1830s to the 1930s. Results and conclusions. The authors continue to investigate the circumstances that have given rise to the emergence and evolution of the concept «physical culture». The reconstruction was done by studying the etymology of the term, followed by the historical overview of the representations that formed this concept in English-speaking countries. The authors show that physical culture has developed with changes in social relations from the first half of the 19th to the middle of the 20th century. Born as a result of the cultural exchange during the Age of Enlightenment, physical culture reflected the essence of the humanistic tradition of human education in the pursuit of physical, spiritual and moral self-improvement. Further evolution of the interpretations of physical culture was associated with its role in promoting individual and public health, rational recreation, military connotations, perceptions of the beauty of a well-developed body and commercialization of the attitude towards it, as well as with racialism and eugenics. Since the 1920s, physical culture has evolved within specific states, reflecting their respective national policies. The conclusion of the article defines possible directions of analysis of the physical culture concept. © 2021, Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul'tury i sporta. All rights reserved.