'Strong mothers make strong children': sports, eugenics and nationalism in Brazil at the beginning of the twentieth century

Based on post-structural feminist and gender studies, the present article analyses the importance given to the practice of physical education, sports and exercise as part of the national policy to strengthen the Caucasian-Brazilian population at the beginning of the twentieth century, emphasising th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sport, education and society education and society, 2012-08, Vol.17 (4), p.555-570
Main Authors: Goellner, Silvana Vilodre, Votre, Sebastião Josué, Pinheiro, Maria Claudia Brandão
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
20th century
African Americans
Analysis
Athletics
Black people
Blacks
Brazil
Elementary Secondary Education
Eugenics
Females
Feminism
Foreign Countries
Gender studies
Health Education
Intervention
Latin American Culture
Mothers
National Programs
Nationalism
Physical Education
Poststructuralism
Public officials
Race
Sport
Sport education
Sports
Teaching Methods
Twentieth Century
Whites
Women
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Summary:Based on post-structural feminist and gender studies, the present article analyses the importance given to the practice of physical education, sports and exercise as part of the national policy to strengthen the Caucasian-Brazilian population at the beginning of the twentieth century, emphasising the priority made of the White female body as the most important instrument in strengthening the so called 'White race'. All the editions of the Revista Educação Physica, the first magazine published specifically for physical education and sport in Brazil, was the primary research source. Other books, manuals, reviews from scientific congresses and official publications from the Brazilian Government at the time were also examined. Via the technical analysis of the contents of the aforementioned publications, it was possible to conclude that the Brazilian nationalist discourse at the time sought what was called the 'refinement of the White race' by strengthening its women while, at the same time, systematically ignoring Black women.
ISSN:1357-3322
1470-1243
DOI:10.1080/13573322.2011.561307