Naturism, tourism and sports: To the conquest of the self (france, 19th-20th centuries)

Abstract

Taking the French reality between the 19th and 20th centuries as an axis of reflection, this article examines the phenomenon of the constitution and diffusion of naturism, starting from its emergence in Germanic lands. Less than a thorough examination of the various facets assumed by naturism and the call for a “return to nature” in the period, it is of interest to the purposes of this article to capture some of the dimensions of this movement and the representations of nature around which its promoters and its initiatives are articulated.