Abstract

In 1931, Bernarr MacFadden, America’s self-proclaimed prophet of physical culture joined forces with Italian dictator Bennito Mussolini in an attempt to train a new generation of Italian soldiers. Done as part of MacFadden’s own attempts to secure a position within President’s Roosevelt’s cabinet, MacFadden’s trip has typically been depicted as an odd quirk of Italian-American relations during this period. Italian historians have viewed the collaboration as an indication of Mussolini’s commitment to strength and gymnastics for nationalist ends. For MacFadden’s biographers the trip is depicted as a new turn in MacFadden’s business enterprise which sought to heighten MacFadden’s socio-political importance. Building on previous studies, the proposed article depicts MacFadden’s fascist flirtation as a new turn in American nationalism which both admired, and sought to emulate, European fascism. Touching on issues of gender, race, and transnationalism, MacFadden’s trip exemplifies the well-established relationship between sport and nationalism.

摘要

1931 年，美国自称为体育文化先知的伯纳·麦克法登与意大利独裁者本尼托·墨索里尼联手，试图培养新一代的意大利士兵。作为麦克法登自己试图在罗斯福总统内阁中获得一席之地的努力的一部分，麦克法登的访问通常被描述为这一时期意大利与美国关系的奇怪怪癖。意大利历史学家将这次合作视为墨索里尼为民族主义目的而致力于力量和体操的象征。对于麦克法登的传记作者来说，这次旅行被描述为麦克法登商业企业的一个新转折，旨在提高麦克法登的社会政治重要性。在以往研究的基础上，拟议的文章将麦克法登的法西斯调情描述为美国民族主义的新转向，该民族主义既钦佩欧洲法西斯主义，又试图效仿欧洲法西斯主义。麦克法登之行涉及性别、种族和跨国主义等问题，体现了体育与民族主义之间既定的关系。