Abstract:
This study aims to understand how the physical education of urban youth in the 1930s was represented, in a context of conflicts for the reconstitution of national identity in Brazil. It is limited to the observation of discourses and practices evidenced by the press and medical journals in the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. It concludes that the modern discourses of physicians and the press had the objective of legitimizing practices for the body, which, nevertheless, should be based on scientific knowledge and a moral of moderation. However, the need to legitimize physical education also evidences tensions generated by silences and/or criticisms of other practices more identified with the capoeira and disinterested amusements, such as the popularization of some sports.
Keywords:
history of education; youth; physical education; national identity