XVII Congress of the Brazilian Studies Association

Discursive Capture of Freedom of Expression by the Brazilian Far-right: Repudiation of Identity Politics and “Political Correctness” as Authoritarian and Colonial Echoes

• In Event: Coup d'état 60 years later: The Authoritarian Legacy and Current Conflicts on Freedom of Expression

Abstract

This paper investigates processes of discursive capture of the category “freedom of expression” by the Brazilian far-right in contemporary times, with emphasis on attempts to delegitimize identity politics by using the expression “political correctness”. Our objective is to understand how such discursive processes have been articulated in media culture, also considering how journalism, as an instance that reflects and refracts social reality (VOLÓCHINOV, 2017) through representations of the public space (CHARAUDEAU, 2010), positions itself. In order to trace a genealogy of the forms of capture of freedom of expression connected to the uses of the category “political correctness”, we based ourselves on a tracking of issues published by journalistic vehicles, covering the decades of 1990, 2000 and 2010, as well as part of the 2020s. The results of the research indicate a high incidence of processes of discursive capture of freedom of expression related to the field of humor, with many Brazilian comedians approaching the far-right. In addition, despite the attempt by the far-right to assert itself as a defender of freedom of expression, the way in which the expression “political correctness” has been mobilized suggests a desire to perpetuate relationships and values ​​based on authoritarianism and colonialism that mark Brazilian history.

Author

• Nara Lya Cabral Scabin, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUC Minas)