From Religious Populism to Civil Religion: a Discourse Analysis of Bolsonaro’s and Lula’s Inaugural and Victory Speeches
Religion played a major role during the presidential elections in Brazil in 2018 and 2022. Although much has been written about Bolsonaro’s religious influence on Brazilian politics, there is a need to understand how politicians on other sides of the political spectrum have positioned themselves in...
| Authors: | ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
International journal of Latin American religions
Year: 2024, Volume: 8, Issue: 1, Pages: 279-304 |
| Further subjects: | B
Discourse Analysis
B Brazilian Christianity B cristianismo brasileiro B political religion B religião política B Populism B Medical Ethics B Secularismo B Análise crítica do discurso B Populismo B Secularism |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | Religion played a major role during the presidential elections in Brazil in 2018 and 2022. Although much has been written about Bolsonaro’s religious influence on Brazilian politics, there is a need to understand how politicians on other sides of the political spectrum have positioned themselves in regard to religion. Thus, through transdisciplinary research rooted in Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) explanation phase, this article seeks to assess both Bolsonaro’s and Lula’s victory and inauguration speeches and their intricacies that appeal to various sorts of politicized religion by problematizing contrasting meanings in discourses of these Brazilian leaders and exploring how social circumstances have enabled or provided conditions for the reproduction of power relations between these politicians and the realm of religion, primarily Christianity. Hence, the article questions: First, which forms of political religion are expressed in the two presidents’ victory speeches and inauguration speeches in the aftermath of the last two general elections? Second, in what ways have both presidents been contributing to the politicization of religion and to what degree do Lula and Bolsonaro differ in this regard? It concludes by arguing that although Bolsonaro’s exclusionary religious populism can be contrasted to Lula’s inclusionary civil religion, there are also some important similarities in their discourses as both politicize Brazilian religion. ResumoA religião desempenhou um papel importante durante as eleições presidenciais no Brasil em 2018 e 2022. Embora muito se tenha escrito sobre a influência religiosa de Bolsonaro na política brasileira, é preciso entender também como candidatos de outros espectros políticos têm se posicionado a esse respeito. Assim, por meio de uma pesquisa transdisciplinar fundamentada na fase de explanação da Análise Crítica do Discurso (ACD) de Fairclough, este artigo procura avaliar os discursos de vitória e posse de Bolsonaro e de Lula e suas complexas relações com a politização da religião ao problematizar significados contrastantes nos discursos desses líderes brasileiros e ao expor como circunstâncias sociais possibilitaram ou forneceram condições para a reprodução das relações de poder entre políticos e o reino da religião, principalmente do cristianismo. Assim, o artigo busca responder às seguintes questões: de que forma ambos os presidentes têm contribuído para a politização da religião? Quais formas de religião política foram expressas nos discursos de vitória e de posse dos dois presidentes após as duas últimas eleições presidenciais e até que ponto Lula e Bolsonaro divergem nesse quesito? Em conclusão, o artigo defende que embora o populismo religioso excludente de Bolsonaro possa ser contrastado com a religião civil inclusiva de Lula, há também algumas semelhanças importantes em seus discursos, pois ambos politizam a religião brasileira. |
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| ISSN: | 2509-9965 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: International journal of Latin American religions
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1007/s41603-023-00214-9 |
