Physical education as a means of biopower in inter-war Malta

Abstract

This article investigates Michael Foucault’s concept of biopower and its prevalence with-in the Maltese education system during the inter-war period. The study of primary sources shows biopower to have increased in the inter-war years, most notably through the development of physical education. Physical Education or P.E., as it was called at the time, became a tool for the promotion of the colonial ideal of being British. As a result, biopower became a distinctive marker of gender identity, particularly for males. Imperialism was equated with the development of a muscular model for the Maltese boys. Overall, however, this model of masculinity remained relatively weak as Malta lacked the infrastructure and resources needed for a state’s use of biopower.