The Colombian Healthy Child Contest: in search of Latin America’s “ideal child” in the 1930s

Abstract This article analyzes healthy child contests as a medical and socio-political strategy implemented in Latin America to protect childhood, thus ensuring the future of the “race” and the nation. These contests blended degeneration, racial theories, and state interventionism and gained momentu...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Iván Darío Olaya Peláez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Casa de Oswaldo Cruz 2023-04-01
Series:História, Ciências, Saúde: Manguinhos
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Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-59702023000100203&lng=en&tlng=en
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Summary:Abstract This article analyzes healthy child contests as a medical and socio-political strategy implemented in Latin America to protect childhood, thus ensuring the future of the “race” and the nation. These contests blended degeneration, racial theories, and state interventionism and gained momentum in the 1930s with the rise of eugenics. This article examines the contest in Colombia, which was implemented under the Liberal Republic (1930-1946); even though this competition was defined by its national context, a broader international perspective improves understanding. Questions are also raised about the efforts of the Liberal government to strengthen the idea of national identity through education and health programs.
ISSN:1678-4758