Antecedents of Physical Literacy: George Herbert Mead and the Genesis of the Self in Play and Games

ABSTRACT

Physical literacy has gained worldwide prominence over the last decade by re-conceptualizing primarily the meaning of physical education. British educator Margaret Whitehead is the most famous proponent of this expression and expositor of its philosophical foundation and value. As such, physical literacy rejects dualism, is buttressed by monism, phenomenology, and existentialism, and provides insights regarding perception, embodiment, and human existence. Two aspects of physical literacy, relevant to this inquiry, are the development of a sense of self and the notion of universality. Both these concepts were addressed by George Herbert Mead over 80 years ago in relation to the genesis of the self in play and the “generalized other” in games as expounded in his seminal work, Mind, Self, & Society. A comparison of the concept of physical literacy and Mead’s thought on the development of the self in physical activity will reveal that the antecedents of physical literacy offer it a useful critique.