From burning Judith Butler to Gilead: Michelle Bolsonaro’s anti-feminist and anti-gender discourse

Abstract

As former president Jair Bolsonaro was declared ineligible to stand again, his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, has become the far right’s new possible candidate to run in Brazil’s future presidential elections. In a speech at an event called by Jair Bolsonaro in February 2024, the former first lady gave a religiously motivated speech arguing for an end of the secular State. This article argues that the rapid, but not sudden, rise of evangelical fundamentalism becomes a barrier to the development of a democratic state. The discussion draws an analogy with Margaret Atwood’s dystopia in The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) of a totalitarian state governed by religious fundamentalism, which seems to take Bolsonaro’s speech to the last level. The analysis is augmented by Judith Butler’s most recent book: Who is afraid of gender (2024), highlighting some fundamental points around gender, feminism and democracy in light of Michelle Bolsonaro’s recent political speech.

Contribution: The analysis in this article highlights some fundamental points around gender, feminism and democracy in light of Michelle Bolsonaro’s recent political speech.