Despite the Brazilian right’s attempts to distort his legacy, Paulo Freire’s life and work continue to inspire those who believe that education is the key to fighting oppression. The late Brazilian educator Paulo Freire (1921-1997) was a prominent figure in the 20th-century critical pedagogy movement and the celebrated author of the ground-breaking 1968 text, “Pedagogy of… Continue reading “The Brazilian Right’s Fight Against Its Leftist Boogeyman”
In late 2018, a majority of Brazilians elected Jair Bolsonaro president of the republic. By now, they probably wished they had never heard of him. In the current coronavirus crisis, Bolsonaro has joined the gallery of toxic leaders, in line with Donald Trump and Boris Johnson. Unlike the latter, Bolsonaro seems completely immune to any… Continue reading “Coronavirus-19’s victims: Populism”
When the world’s attention turned towards the burning Amazon rain forest, Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, did everything to turn himself into an environmental villain – of sorts. Why – in the face of an environmental crisis – did he lose control of his country’s image abroad and, above all, image as a ‘strong man’ leader?… Continue reading “The rise of a culture warrior: Jair Bolsonaro’s far-right revolution”
The cultural Marxism conspiracy is fundamentally anti-egalitarian because it portrays any form of social progress or economic equality as evil and poisonous. “Cultural Marxism” is a right-wing conspiracy theory that accuses the Frankfurt School — comprised of thinkers like Theodor Adorno, Erich Fromm and Herbert Marcuse — of emigrating to the United States of America in… Continue reading “The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy Thrives in Bolsonaro’s Brazil”
In early September 2018, I wrote a blog post about Jair Bolsonaro, at that moment the frontrunner in the Brazilian presidential election, defending that he could be considered a populist radical right politician. He was elected and has been in power since January 1. In this post, I discuss the adaptation of Bolsonaro’s radical appeal… Continue reading “Bolsonaro’s first days of government: a threat to liberal democracy”
Fascism isn’t new to Latin America, and neither is the radical right. Jair Bolsonaro, a former military officer, is the newly elected President of Brazil and one of the most right-wing politicians in power in Latin America in decades. He thus joins the radical right-wing surge of politicians around the globe from Presidents Orbán (Hungary)… Continue reading “Brazil’s Bolsonaro Is The Latest Incarnation Of The Radical Right In Latin America”
Newly elected Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro’s narrative is one that lends itself to creating what historians of dictatorship have called a ‘cult of personality’. One of his supporters recently told The Nation, reiterating claims now surrounding Bolsonaro: ‘He is the messiah! He was knifed, but rather than stay at home or lie on the beach,… Continue reading “Is He a Fascist? The Election of Jair Bolsonaro”
In October Brazilians will vote for president in particularly troubled election. It is the first ballot after Dilma Rousseff’s controversy impeachment, which put into power the unpopular interim Michel Temer. Besides, Lula, the first candidate in the polls, is in prison and was barred from running the election. Finally, it is the first time that… Continue reading “Bolsonaro: Radical Right-Wing Populism reaches Brazil”