Discourse of fear and the presidential elections in Brazil in 2014

  • Vanderlei de Castro Ezequiel Faculdade Cásper Líbero – Brasil
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5209/MESO.54543
Keywords: antiethos, political discourse, election, spectacle, fear,

Abstract

The objective of this study is to analyze the discourse of fear as an electoral campaign strategy and reflect on the conservative root of this speech and its appropriation by different political trends. For both aims, are used several concepts: source of fear (Mira & Lopes), secondary fear (Bauman), rationalization of fear (Hobbes; Rancière; Adorno & Horkheimer), conservatism (Bobbio), culture of fear (Glassner) and spectacle (Debord). The main theoretical and methodological orientation of this work comes from the French Discourse Analysis, understanding political discourse (Charaudeau) as an expression of an era. It concludes that, in the current Brazilian electoral context the discourse of fear is used extensively by candidates and parties, regardless of ideological positioning. The use of fear in the electoral discourse, intensified by this culture of fear in the media, empties the political and electoral debate, spectacularizing the politics.

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Published
2016-11-28
How to Cite
de Castro Ezequiel V. (2016). Discourse of fear and the presidential elections in Brazil in 2014. Mediaciones Sociales, 15, 55-79. https://doi.org/10.5209/MESO.54543
Issue
No. 15 (2016)
Section
Articles

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