Pandemic and Crisis of Democracy: Biopolitics, Neoliberalism, and Necropolitics in Bolsonaro's Brazil PDF
Preview Pandemic and Crisis of Democracy: Biopolitics, Neoliberalism, and Necropolitics in Bolsonaro's Brazil
“This brilliantly written, provocative book offers an original analysis and a poignant critique of Bolsonaro’s Brazil. It is a timely, much-needed contri- bution to current debates in political theory on the notions of biopolitics and necropolitics, and their relationship to democracy, neoliberalism, and the gov- ernment of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Daniele Lorenzini, University of Warwick “This urgent project brands President Jair Bolsonaro’s pandemic politics as ‘façade democracy’: an authoritarian leader stirring up populist resentment to- ward vaccines and masks in the name of democratic responsiveness. Duarte painstakingly charts the erosion of Brazilian democracy from within and pro- poses techniques for democratic renewal.” Lisa Disch, Political Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor “This insightful book is an original and important contribution to philo- sophical and political discussions of the contemporary world. The Brazilian example of Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency, crossed with the global event of the COVID-19 pandemic, is particularly relevant to address not only the situation in Brazil today, but also the authoritarian drifts that undermine the ‘democratic experience’.” Philippe Sabot, Full Professor of Contemporary Philosophy, University of Lille, and President of the Michel Foucault Center PANDEMIC AND CRISIS OF DEMOCRACY In this incisive book, André Duarte examines the health crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the contemporary crisis of democracy. Reflecting on President Jair Bolsonaro’s misgovernment of Brazil, as evi- denced by his political actions, speeches and omissions from March 2020 to September 2021, and using concepts like biopolitics, neoliberalism and ne- cropolitics, Duarte proposes three interrelated hypotheses to demonstrate Bolsonaro’s sharp distrust of democracy. First, that Bolsonaro’s rhetoric, ac- tions and omissions during the first year and a half of the pandemic revealed a dangerous mixture of biopolitical, neoliberal and necropolitical governmen- tality strategies. Second, that the pandemic in Brazil intensified the damaging side-effects against democracy brought by neoliberalism and biopolitics, once the necropolitical vector assumed precedence. And third, that Bolsonaro’s po- litical agenda is either to revoke the Brazilian democracy by violent means or to implement a façade democracy by slowly distorting it from within, blurring the differences between democracy and authoritarianism. Conceptualizing democracy as power of the demos and not exclusively as a political regime organized around a definite set of political institutions, Duarte argues that Bolsonaro’s misgovernment of Brazil is related to his antidemocratic viewpoints. Pandemic and Crisis of Democracy is an important book for research- ers, students and anyone concerned about the dangers that surround the demo- cratic experience in the contemporary world. André Duarte is a full professor in the Philosophy Department at the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil. His research interests include contemporary phi- losophy and political theory, specializing in the works of Hannah Arendt, Michel Foucault and Judith Butler, among others. PANDEMIC AND CRISIS OF DEMOCRACY Biopolitics, Neoliberalism, and Necropolitics in Bolsonaro’s Brazil André Duarte Cover image: Gabriela Biló/ Estadão Conteúdo First published 2023 by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 and by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2023 André Duarte The right of André Duarte to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this title has been requested ISBN: 978-1-032-28161-2 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-28160-5 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-29552-5 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003295525 Typeset in Bembo by codeMantra To Maria Rita, once and again… CONTENTS Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 1 The image of hell: Understanding Brazil’s pandemic under Bolsonaro 14 The horror, the horror … 14 An essay toward understanding Bolsonaro’s political enigma 22 Fictionalizing Brazil: biopolitics, neoliberalism and necropolitics in a nutshell 29 2 Biopolitics, neoliberalism, necropolitics and the crisis of democracy 39 Biopolitics and the contemporary crisis of democracy 39 Neoliberalism and the crisis of democracy 47 Necropolitical matters 55 Biopolitics and neoliberalism under the guidance of necropolitics 58 3 Brazil’s pathway to hell 66 The fight against corruption and the rise of the Brazilian far-right 67 The shaping of Bolsonaro as Brazil’s major neocon leader 72
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