Sacred Politics: An Analysis of Michelle Bolsonaro’s Theological-Political Discourses

Abstract

The article analyzes the phenomenon of the rise of Bolsonarism and its relationship with the actions of (neo)Pentecostal communities. We investigate, through discourse analysis and public data surveys, the logic of the relationship between religion and authoritarianism and how this logic appears in Brazilian society. First, we start from the discussion about the meanings and contours of secularism in Brazil. Next, we will deal with the growth of the evangelical (neo)Pentecostal segments and the way they outline a project of occupation and power within the public space. Finally, we will deal with the instrumentalization of religious discourse through authoritarian political regimes in order to absolutize meanings such as "God" and "Family" in such a way that they become not only dominant, but the only ones. We used as data the speech given by Michelle Bolsonaro on Av Paulista, in February 2024, made available in video in full by the Band News channel. The results indicate that the discursive structure of both - authoritarian and religious discourse - tends to monosemy; In the political environment, the conservative reading of religion merges with authoritarian discourse, gaining representation through discourse.