On 11 December, Willy Hugedet successfully defended his doctoral thesis, Physical Education Put to the Test by a Democratic Ideal: The Subversive Work of Pierre Parlebas (1950–2020), and earned his doctorate.

Supervised by Dr Christian Vivier and Dr Sebastien Laffage-Cosnier, the thesis was presented at the University of Burgundy.

The research examines Dr Parlebas’s work through 70 years of his life, focusing on the publications, training and interdisciplinary experience that gave rise to his praxeological framework. The author places that framework in its social context, linking it to democratic and social values.

Pierre Parlebas developed a new vision of physical education in France in the second half of the twentieth century. The research traces the origins, development and transmission of his work across three spheres of his activism: physical education, popular education and university research.

By comparing a variety of previously unpublished sources, the study shows how a democratic ideal drove Parlebas. Examining his creative process reveals an intellectual commitment to collectively rejecting subjugation.

In other words, his work seeks a world in which domination disappears.

In the public sphere, he takes a dissenting position to challenge institutions that govern the body.

In education, as a summer camp director and CEMÉA instructor, he opposed authoritarian teaching and the dominance of sporting competition.

In academia, he rejected the university hierarchy and devised a motor praxeology intended to reduce that inequality.

Keywords: democracy, physical education, progressive education, sport, play, summer camps.