From burning Judith Butler to Gilead: Michelle Bolsonaro’s anti-feminist and anti-gender discourse
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: As former president Jair Bolsonaro was declared ineligible to stand again, his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, has become the far right’s new possible candidate to run in Brazil’s future presidential elections. In a speech at an event called by Jair Bolsonaro in February 2024, the former first lady gave a religiously motivated speech arguing for an end of the secular State. This article argues that the rapid, but not sudden, rise of evangelical fundamentalism becomes a barrier to the development of a democratic state. The discussion draws an analogy with Margaret Atwood’s dystopia in The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) of a totalitarian state governed by religious fundamentalism, which seems to take Bolsonaro’s speech to the last level. The analysis is augmented by Judith Butler’s most recent book: Who is afraid of gender (2024), highlighting some fundamental points around gender, feminism and democracy in light of Michelle Bolsonaro’s recent political speech. Contribution: The analysis in this article highlights some fundamental points around gender, feminism and democracy in light of Michelle Bolsonaro’s recent political speech.
Source: Journal of Media and Rights
DOI: 10.4102/jmr.v2i1.11
Author: Marina Costin Fuser
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4404841498