ABSTRACT:
This paper aims to discuss the offer and presence of swimming in 19th century Rio de Janeiro's schools (1853-1889), seeking to unveil its different facets, senses and meanings. To reach this aim, newspapers and magazines edited in the city were used as sources, taking care to understand published texts as representations that should be prospected in its materiality. It is history of a body practice, entangled with education's history, which helps shed new perspectives on social life in the capital during the period. At the end, we concluded that the presence of swimming in Rio de Janeiro's schools were related to current discourse of health, hygiene and discipline, related to possible contributions to the development of individuals, society and the nation.
Keywords:
Swimming; Physical Education; History; Rio de Janeiro.