Populismo di destra e il caso di Jair Bolsonaro in Brasile: tra hate speech e fake news.

Abstract

This thesis intends to look at the developments of the recent global wave of right-wing populism with a focus on the case of Jair Bolsonaro, that was elected president of Brazil in 2018 and stayed in charge from 2019 until the end of 2022. Moreover, this thesis aims at analysing the usage that Bolsonaro made of hate speech and fake news during both his political campaign and his administration, and at how this hate speech was dangerous and detrimental causing violence demonstrations throughout the whole country. Tracing a line between global populism and the right-wing populism that is on the rise worldwide can, in fact, offer an insightful perspective on the analysis of Brazil’s political situation. At the same time, Brazil’s political situation that climaxed with the election of Bolsonaro will be examined from a local perspective, by taking into account the country’s history from the Vargas government, known for implementing populist policies, to the military dictatorship’s legacy and the Worker’s Party government preceding the 2018 elections. In addition, by stressing the importance of the role of social media within this process, this work will take into account the communication strategies used by Bolsonaro and his political campaigners for the purpose of gaining supporters and votes.