THE OFFENSIVE OF THE REACTIONARY RIGHT IN BRAZIL: critical analysis of Human Rights policy in the historical period of 2018-2022
Human Rights; Conservatism; Reactionary Right.
This project aims to analyze the positions of the reactionary right in Brazil concerning
human rights during the historical period of 2018-2022. The context under examination is
characterized by the rise of Bolsonarism on the national political scene as a conservative
reaction to the organic crisis that has afflicted the country over the past decade. Contrary to
the global scenario marked by the structural crisis of capital (Mészáros, 2002) and the rise
of neoliberalism, which impacts the crises within leftist forces, Brazil achieved a
presidential victory for the left through the Workers' Party (PT), resulting from alliances
with centrist and right-wing sectors in an attempt at conciliation. However, this logic is
thoroughly undermined by the 2014 presidential elections, where Dilma Rousseff's re-
election for the PT paves the way for the resurgence of a resentful right with new
expressions. What follows is forged from the electoral defeats of leftist political parties and
segments, as well as the expansion of the right's influence over the state apparatus since
2018, with Jair Messias Bolsonaro, then affiliated with the Social Liberal Party (PSL),
becoming the president of the country. This project's foundation lies in the critical-
dialectical method, a process that extends beyond fragmented study and seeks to unveil the
contradictions of reality in its continuous movement. For data collection and production, a
bibliographic and documentary research will be conducted to support the analysis of the
Human Rights Ministry’s programs and projects and their restructuring throughout the
historical process. To this end, we will utilize the Multi-Year Plans of 2016-2019 and
2020-2023, considering their central relevance at the management level, which allows for
the understanding of the intentions and priorities that the administration plans to
implement. Theoretical production on the inflections of this reactionary right, epitomized
by the Bolsonaro administration in the realm of human rights, is essential for Social
Service in the theoretical, political, and budgetary fields. The production of knowledge is
an imperative tool for understanding reality by deeply grasping the impacts of
fundamentalist conservatism and its influence on policies concerning women, families, and
human rights.