Toxic Resentment and Far-Right Politics: A Critical Theory from a Brazilian Perspective

Abstract

This article seeks to develop a critical theory of political resentment that can account for the role of toxic sentiments of hatred and spite in contemporary processes of democratic backsliding by analyzing the Brazilian case. After reviewing debates about the concept of political resentment in modern and contemporary social theory, the article advances the concept of toxic resentment and outlines its three main constitutive elements. The article then presents the foundations for a critical theory of toxic resentment that focuses on two contextual factors: economic transformation or decline and actual or perceived status losses. The final sections discuss how such a theory can advance our understanding of the recent rise of conservative movements and the resulting crises of democratic politics. By highlighting the intersections between gender hierarchies, economic transformation, and support for the far right in Brazil and elsewhere, the conclusions define toxic resentment as a type of social and political bond that agglutinates different types of anxieties and hostile responses.