This research paper suggests that there is a continuous need, particularly in the context of teacher education, to extend understanding of how all school subjects participate in a process where the ideal citizen is constructed. The research question is as follows: How has Physical Education constructed the ideal citizen (the competent body and character) since the birth of secular public school (in 1866) in a culture we today call Finland? From the late medieval period until Russian defeated Sweden in the year 1809, Finland was a part of Sweden. The secular public school took its initial steps while Finland was still part of the Russian Empire. In Finland, as in Germany and in France, education coincided with the emergence of the nation-state. (Saari, Salmela & Vilkkilä 2014; Ahonen 2003.) Finland eventually gained her independence in 1917. Evidently, Finnish education is historically and politically based on both global (mainly European) and local progressions. Hence, the international dimension is an integral part of the study.

The roots of secular public school in Finland reach as far as to the Enlightenment, the era when equality emerged as a value of great importance. The demands for democratization of education and for organizing it in a more systematically manner increased everywhere in Europe. The birth of Finnish education was heavily influenced by the ideas of German philosopher G. W. Hegel. An influential Finnish statesman and philosopher J. V. Snellman formulated both his political and educational philosophies according to Hegel. For Snellman, the national self-conciousness was a precondition for independence. He saw ‘Bildung’ as an essence of all education. (Ahonen 2003; Saari, Salmela & Vilkkilä 2014.) ‘Bildung’ means to become socialized to one’s own culture through school. Moreover, it means to become individuated by one’s own studies, activities, and hobbies in a way that transcends the official education. (Autio 2014.) In the 19^th century ‘Bildung’ was seen as a prerequisite for nation-spirit, and therefore a prerequisite for the birth of the Finnish nation-state as well.

The basis for secular public education in Finland was laid in the educational act in 1866. However, it took more than 50 years before the law of compulsory education was enacted. Interestingly, Physical Education was one of the subjects mentioned in the educational act 1866. Like all school subjects, also Physical Education has participated in the processes where the ideal citizen is constructed. In this study we attempt to answer the research question “How has physical education constructed the ideal citizen (the competent body and character) since the birth of secular public school (in 1866) by analyzing both historical and contemporary documents. These documents have been published in the following four turning points (see Ahonen 2003; Saari et. al. 2014) of Finnish education: 1) The birth of secular public education in 1866, 2) The inception of the act for compulsory education in 1921, 3) The development of nonselective basic education (comprehensive school) during the 1960´s and 1970’s, and 4) The basic education in neoliberal, market oriented era since 1980´s.

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