Pandemic and Crisis of Democracy Biopolitics, Neoliberalism, and Necropolitics in Bolsonaro's Brazil

"This brilliantly written, provocative book offers an original analysis and a poignant critique of Bolsonaro's Brazil. It is a timely, much-needed contribution to current debates in political theory on the notions of biopolitics and necropolitics, and their relationship to democracy, neoliberalism, and the government of the COVID-19 pandemic."

Daniele Lorenzini, University of Warwick

"This urgent project brands President Jair Bolsonaro's pandemic politics as 'façade democracy': an authoritarian leader stirring up populist resentment toward vaccines and masks in the name of democratic responsiveness. Duarte painstakingly charts the erosion of Brazilian democracy from within and proposes techniques for democratic renewal."

Lisa Disch, Political Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

"This insightful book is an original and important contribution to philosophical and political discussions of the contemporary world. The Brazilian example of Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, crossed with the global event of the COVID-19 pandemic, is particularly relevant to address not only the situation in Brazil today, but also the authoritarian drifts that undermine the 'democratic experience'."

Philippe Sabot, Full Professor of Contemporary Philosophy, University of Lille, and President of the Michel Foucault Center.