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«Perfekte Performanz»: Yvonne Schüpbach publishes book on women’s artistic gymnastics in Switzerland

«Feminine grace», discipline, performance and strict expectations of how a gymnast should look and perform. In her new book, «Perfekte Performanz. Frauenkunstturnen in der Schweiz (1949–1985)», Dr Yvonne Schüpbach, a postdoctoral researcher in Modern and Contemporary History at UniDistance Suisse, explores the history of women’s artistic gymnastics from the perspectives of gender and body history. The book will be published on 22 October 2026 and will also be the focus of a podcast episode and a public book launch.

In «Perfekte Performanz», Dr Yvonne Schüpbach examines how societal ideas about gender and sport influenced one another, and how female gymnasts’ bodies were discussed, disciplined and judged. She also explores unequal power relations and forms of violence, issues that remain highly relevant in light of current debates in gymnastics.

The book is based on Dr Yvonne Schüpbach’s doctoral thesis, which was supported by a Doc.CH grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). It will be published by Campus Verlag as part of the «Geschichte und Geschlechter» series. Thanks to SNSF funding for open-access books, the book will be published as Gold Open Access, making it freely available online. 

The book featured on the «Zeitreise» podcast

To coincide with the book’s publication on 22 October 2026, an episode of the «Zeitreise» podcast will be released, dedicated entirely to «Perfekte Performanz». As a guest expert, Dr Yvonne Schüpbach will discuss principales conclusions from her research and place them in a broader historical context. 

Book launch at the University of Bern

One week after its publication, «Perfekte Performanz» will be presented at a public book launch at the University of Bern. The event is organised in collaboration with the Institute of History at the University of Bern and Swiss Olympic. Together with Dr Natalie Barker-Ruchti, Ethics Specialist at Swiss Olympic and affiliated researcher at Örebro University in Sweden, Dr Yvonne Schüpbach will offer insights into the book and the topics it explores. The event will be followed by a drinks reception.

Date: Thursday, 29 October 2026 
Time: From 6 pm 
Venue: University of Bern, Main Building, Kuppelraum, 5th floor

Register by 22 October 2026 

Further insights into the history of sport

Those interested in exploring the topic further can discover aspects of Yvonne Schüpbach’s research at the exhibition «Sport – was uns bewegt», which runs until March 2027 at the Stadtmuseum Aarau, as well as at a public panel discussion on 5 November 2026. 

Dr Yvonne Schüpbach is a historian and gender studies researcher. She is a postdoctoral researcher in the Faculty of History at UniDistance Suisse, where she is part of the research group «Inclusion and Exclusion in 20th-Century European Societies», led by Prof. Dr Christina Späti. Her research focuses on critical gender and body history, particularly in the areas of sport, social welfare, poverty, health and ageing. 

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