Abstract:
The Nineteenth Century was a period of changes in Brazil, based on thoughts such as the Hygienist Movement. With its biologizing characteristics and centered on scientific rationality, the movement influenced several social segments, setting longed-awaited cultural practices such as gymnastics. This study addresses hygienist thinking and its relation to gymnastics in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, between 1850 and 1920, using New Cultural History. The time frame comprises the period between the second half of the Nineteenth Century and the first two decades of the Twentieth Century, because that was a time for construction of a modern and hygienic society project. The sources were magazines and newspapers published in the state of Bahia. In conclusion, we point out that the path of progress in Salvador was closely related to hygienism and emphasized gymnastics’ place as a modern practice and symbol.
Keywords:
History; Hygiene; Body Practices; Gymnastics