Remaking the Nation From Heaven: Evangelical and White Vote for Bolsonaro

• In Event: Right-Wing Populism and Religion in Latin America

Abstract

What are effects of populism over conceptions of national identity? Initial signals from the newly elected right-wing, nationalist-populist president Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil suggest that we are likely to see a U-turn in that country's conception of national identity, which in turn makes it a critical case for answering that question. By using a mixed-method approach, this paper elucidates a recently observed backlash against a long-accepted conception of Brazilian nationality that favors non-European heritage. It is hypothesized that the rise of non-white and non-Christian migrants, with a high proportion coming from Haiti and as well as Subsaharan Africa, is connected to this backlash at both the elite and citizen level. This paper examines the roots of this backlash and finds that it is connected specifically to the rise of Evangelicalism in Brazil. Protestant believers (and particularly, born-again Christians) are found to be more critical of African-Brazilian creeds than the ‘old’ Catholic majority. Employing a discourse analysis of an original data set of Bolsonaro's campaign and government statements the paper finds that these specifically ignore Non-European contributions to the development of the nation both materially and symbolic, and also oppose migration more generally. Once key themes in elite discourses are identified they guide a quantitative analysis. Aggregate electoral data (in each of the 5.570 Brazilian municipalities) that demonstrates geo-spatial patterns linking the proportion of whites (and specifically white Evangelicals) living in each municipality with a significant increase in the support for Bolsonaro. The main finding is similar to findings of support for right populism in the UK, Poland, US and beyond - racial prejudice and in-group dynamics (flamed by elites) are more significant that any actual experiences of interaction with minorities. Specifically for the Brazilian case, emphasis on Non-White heritage as a key marker of ideas related to nationality tends to be replaced by religious affiliation to any Christian denomination. This downplays Brazil's tradition of welcoming migrants of all creeds and ethnicities in name of fostering nationalist-populist politics and suggests that populism has long term effects well beyond economic policies.

Author

• Vinicius G. Rodrigues Vieira, Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation (FAAP)