The connection of religion and politics is a complex yet critical theme to be studied in the contemporary sociopolitical and economic context. While Latin America has been known as overwhelmingly Catholic for an extended period, the recent religious trends and increased share of Pentecostals/Evangelists in the region’s population imply the subsequent connection to right-wing movements and activities. Specifically, the growing phenomenon of right-wing populism in Brazil, a predominantly catholic country from the historical perspective, is of particular interest to researchers since it allows for studying the relationship between religion and politics and its consequences.
The recent collapse of the left-wing administration and its replacement with the right-wing ideology representatives, among which President Jair Bolsonaro, is an important subject to be examined and discussed to analyze the factors contributing to the rise of populism in Brazil (Garcia, 2019). This study’s research question aims to investigate whether there is a connection between Pentecostalism/Evangelicalism in Brazil and right-wing politics. Bolsonaro’s religion-themed campaign appealed to Pentecostals/Evangelists who have gained an influential presence in Brazil’s politics over the recent years, resulting in the fall of left-wing administration and a shift to right-wing political attitudes.
- The first category, or the primary sources, constitutes the basis for this research and includes scholarly articles that study the phenomenon of political ideology shift in Brazil and analyze the role of Protestantism in the politics of Latin America.
- The second category, of secondary sources, includes academic articles that add to the discussion of Brazil’s political context and the aspects of Pentecostalism/Evangelicalism contributing to the abrupt replacement of the left-wing administration.
- The third category, or tertiary sources, will include publications summarizing the ideas and topics presented in the other two categories of sources.
“The literature explored for this review will focus on the historical establishment development of Pentecostalism/Evangelicalism in Brazil, the dynamics of right-wing politics and its implications in Brazilian society connected to religion, and the consequences of Pentecostalism/Evangelicalism in politics under the perspective of international relations.”
The first section of the paper will be based on religious studies review to explore the historical establishment development of Pentecostalism/Evangelicalism in Brazil. The second section will take a political sciences perspective studying the dynamics of right-wing politics. The third section will build upon a sociology review addressing the implications of right-wing politics for Brazilian society. The fourth section will be based on an anthropology review to explore how these implications are connected to religion. The fifth section will study the consequences of Pentecostalism/Evangelicalism in politics under the perspective of international relations.
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