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The Cock of the School: A Cultural History of Playground Violence in Britain, 1880–1940

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2013

Jacob Middleton
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Abstract

Violence was an important part of the educational experience of many British children during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It principally took the form of playground fights, in which children competed in displays of physical prowess to win the accolade “cock of the school,” the term attached to the best fighter. This article examines the background to these fights using autobiographical accounts produced by individuals educated between 1890 and 1940. Working from common themes in these accounts, it explains the structure and context of schoolyard fights. In particular, it examines the manner in which contemporary notions of masculinity influenced the conduct of children. Fighting was a means by which a schoolboy could act out a fantasy of manhood and, through this, relate to his peers and the school environment.

Keywords

EducationViolenceSchoolsFightingMasculinityGenderFantasyBoxing
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of British Studies , Volume 52 , Issue 4 , October 2013 , pp. 887 - 907
Copyright
Copyright © The North American Conference on British Studies 2013 

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