A Contested Victory: Liberal Reformism and Women’s Physical Culture in Colombia, 1930–1946

Abstract

The relationship between women’s sports, female physical education, and liberal reformism is pivotal to understanding gender relations in Colombia from 1930 to 1946. The Liberal Republic was a political period when public officials placed cultural reforms at the centre of governmental attempts to ‘transform’ and ‘modernise’ Colombia. Print media, official correspondence, and legislation are crucial to grasping women’s reactions to the advancement of female physical culture and how they publicly advocated for its implementation. The endeavours of the Liberal Republic to promote physical culture at the national level highlight the way in which their reformism worked in everyday life and uncover how female educators and sports enthusiasts discussed and embraced the government’s initiatives from below.