The rhetoric of the Brazilian far-right, built in the streets: The case of Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

This paper is an ethnographic exploration of the construction of far-right rhetoric in Brazil. The work begins with events on the day of the elections of 2018, when Jair M. Bolsonaro won the presidency. To contextualise this scene, the work analyses how farright rhetoric was articulated in the Brazilian public sphere from June 2013 until 2018, and specifically, in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The paper explains how anti-corruption and militarized rhetorics in the electoral campaign were fundamental in constructing far-right identity claims and collective mobilisation. As a conclusion, the paper shows the importance of these specific events in the construction of what became the ‘Bolsonarist rhetoric’, as part of a broader, international politics of disaffection.