After the more methodological first section of the conference, the second section offers case studies of visual representations of sports and athletes' bodies. Univ.-Doz. Dr. Matthias Marschik from the university of Vienna focuses on images depicting the Jewish sports club Hakoah in Vienna, which existed from 1909 until 1938, the year of the "Anschluss." Marschik shows how the visual representation and the (in-)visibiliy of the successful athletes needs to be seen against the backdrop of political and cultural contexts. Dr. Emanuel Hübner from the university of Münster talks about the 1936 Olympics in the light of amateur photography. Analyzing these rather unknown sources, he elaborates on the differences between professional and amateur visuality. Melanie Woitas from the university of Erfurt moves to the 1980s focuses on the Aerobics hype of the decade. She works out how Jane Fonda's popular Aerobic videos helped constructing the female body and feminine gender ideals.
Matthias Marschik | Depicting Hakoah, 1909-1938