"Decipher me or I will devour you": the reconstruction of the Pinochetist right in democratic Chile

• Grant number: 24/06489-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2029
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - Political Theory
• Principal Investigator: André Kaysel Velasco e Cruz
• Grantee: Maria Luísa Galdeano Damasceno
• Host Institution: Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas (IFCH). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The rise in influence of radical right-wing political leaders is a global phenomenon that is also manifesting in Latin America. Chile, historically known for pioneering the authoritarian institutionalization of the neoliberal model, has seen in recent years the significant rise of a new Pinochetist right, heir to the legacy of the military dictatorship, in full democratic rule. In this context, the following research project aims to understand the political bases of right-wing populism centered on the leadership of José Antonio Kast and the Republican Party. The hypothesis is that the PR discourse has proven effective in challenging a variety of social groups around elements such as order, stability, religious extremism, among others. Therefore, the main objective of this work is to map the elements that make up his speech, so that it is possible to understand how they relate to the demands of Chilean society. It is planned that this will be done based on documents, files and statements from supporters, members and, mainly, the PR leader, between 2019 until the end of the research.