Times of Far-Right: The Construction of Heroes in the Brazilian Electoral Campaign

Abstract

This paper explores a key phenomenon in the process of political identification during Brazilian elections of 2018, where sympathizers embody their leaders in a way that the borders between leader-followers are diluted; where the self is momentarily suspended, and where national heroes and villains are represented in the candidate’s performance. I analyse this process through three ethnographic key events: the stab of Bolsonaro, articulating the slogan of “we are all Bolsonaro”; the multiplication of Marielles Franco plaque and the sentence “here we are thousands of Marielles”; and the prison of Lula that and the sentence: “Lula is an idea”. The research method is the participant observation. Through the theoretical framework of Propp's structural narrative and Palmeira's concept of "Time of Politics", the article concludes by showing that during the electoral campaign, these political leaders acquired the traits of narrative heroes, in a special time, characterized by the performativity and acceptance of forms of heroism in political discourse.