A DIVIDED BRAZIL? CONSIDERATIONS ON POLITICAL AND SOCIAL POLARIZATION IN CONTEMPORARY BRAZIL

Abstract:

This article discusses the concept of social polarization dividing contemporary Brazil into poles identifying with Lula or Bolsonaro. Based on the hypothesis that the challenges to Brazil’s democratic consolidation have an impact on this context, we analyze five historical social processes, taking the founding of the New Republic as a milestone. These are: the constitution and reforms of the institutional political system; the changing national economic context; the structural changes in Brazilian society; the structure of traditional media and the emergence of new information technologies; and the changing international political context. The analysis supports the hypothesis that the Bolsonaro phenomenon is a symptom that deepens, rather than the origin of, contemporary polarization.

Keywords:   Polarization ; Electoral behavior ; Political crisis ; Political parties ; Democratization