A bicicleta, o ciclismo e as mulheres na transição dos séculos XIX e XX

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the relationships between the new configuration of the women social presence (and, in this scenario, the positions of leaders of feminine civil rights' movements), the new social dynamics marked by the valorization of public leisure activities (of which cycling is a remarkable example) and a new invention (the bicycle) in the 19th to 20th centuries' transition. Initially, we discuss specific cases of Europe (mainly those of France) and United States, searching to recover the pioneer discussions and occurrences concerning the involvement of women with cycling. Later, we discuss the specific case of Rio de Janeiro, the biggest city and capital of the country at that time, whose leaders had aspirations to constitute in the Brazilian modern metropolis. © 2009 Revista Estudos Feministas.