O DISCURSO DO MOVIMENTO SANITARISTA E A UNIVERSALIZAÇÃO DA SAÚDE NO BRASIL

Abstract

The objective of this article is to understand how the discourse of the sanitary movement enabled the understanding of the health issue for other social actors. To this end, it proposes to analyze the changes in the order of discourse made by the sanitary movement to denaturalize the historically hegemonic discourse on health. It also seeks to understand that hegemony is not obtained by the imposition of a social structure, but through the construction of alliances, in order to gain the trust of individuals and convince them to integrate. Discursive practices play a fundamental role in this process, from the constitution of new discursive orders. Through a dialectical process, the discourse of the sanitary movement was influenced by various social actors and was modified, in order to present a new meaning for the problem of public health in Brazil. Denaturalizing the historically hegemonic discourse on health, which attributed diseases to divine will or lack of individual hygiene. The hygienists demonstrated that diseases were actually caused by environmental and social factors. The discourse of the sanitary movement was also important for the construction of alliances with other social actors. The hygienists allied themselves with politicians, entrepreneurs, and intellectuals to promote the sanitary agenda.