Ministry of Theory-Building: A President's Dialogues Guiding Political Manipulation and Knowledge Construction

• In Event: Power, Politics, and Ideology in the Learning Sciences

Abstract

There is ongoing discussion over the role of education in the battle against disinformation. Indeed, this debate has several connections with educational research, and in this work we explore one of such connections: we focus on mechanisms through which individuals build knowledge–as described by classic constructivism–as they interact with political leaders. To that end, the research team analyzed conversations between Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his followers. Preliminary evidence shows that the chief of state employs activators that lead to the impression that the audience is participating in knowledge construction. Also, we found evidence that the president’s audience picks up on his clues and corroborate the narratives put forward by the head of state.

Authors

• Renato Russo, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Paulo Blikstein, Teachers College, Columbia University