Abstract
The last decade has witnessed the development of pernicious polarization in Brazil, partly due to the emergence of right-wing organizations promoting a conservative, populist-nationalist and neoliberal agenda. Despite the attention that this process has received, the viewpoints of individuals who identify themselves as part of the right-wing have been overlooked. This article aims to address this gap, drawing on twenty-one semi-structured interviews with members of right-wing organization Movimento Brasil Livre. By analyzing the interviews through the philosophy of Paulo Freire, we show how these individuals propose a narrative of oppression that echoes in form but not substance Freire’s ideas of conscientization and liberation. We also suggest that a Freirean approach opens new ways to discuss and potentially unlock pernicious polarization, incorporating a significant distinction between sectarians and radicals, with the former unreceptive to criticism and discussion, and the latter defending their positions but open to dialogue and listening.
Highlights
Thousands of Brazilians took to the streets in cities all over the country on 15 March 2015
We look at how right-wing activists proposed a narrative of oppression to explain the rise of the right in Brazil, with chronological stages of alleged ‘victimization’, ‘conscientization’ and ‘liberation.’ these stages seem to echo Freire’s philosophy, we are aware that these similarities are in form rather than substance
The narrative of victimization, conscientization and liberation proposed by members of the Movimento Brasil Livre (MBL) is not uncommon among right-wing activists
Summary
Thousands of Brazilians took to the streets in cities all over the country on 15 March 2015 They protested against economic recession, the corruption scandals exposed by Operaca~o Lava Jato – an investigation into a bribery network involving the entire political spectrum, including former presidents Fernando Collor de Mello and, notably, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and demanded the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff. Right-wing organizations continued to grow during the government of Rousseff’s replacement, her controversial Vice-president Michel Temer, and the subsequent presidential campaign that ended in the victory of right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro in late 2018. The emergence of these groups contributed to a significant social and political shift in the country. One of the numerous targets of Bolsonaro’s backers was Paulo Freire and his legacy, accused of being responsible for a supposed ‘communist brainwashing’ of Brazil’s educational system (see Waisbord, this issue)
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