Anatomy of Disintegration

A leading political philosopher dissects the far right's appeal through the lens of Bolsonarismo, tracing its roots to the social, cultural, and economic disintegration caused by the crisis of neoliberalism.  In 2022, Brazilians defeated the far right at the polls-and, in 2025, the country's high court jailed its leader, former president Jair Bolsonaro, for plotting a coup. But for four years, Bolsonaro led the nation and the popular, far-right movement that bore his name. Anatomy of Disintegration is about how Bolsonaro came to power and was defeated, but it is also about much more: it offers a perspective on the global rise of the far right as seen from one of the largest countries in the Global South. What explains the far right's appeal, in Brazil, in the US, and across the world? What is so attractive about its message and the future it offers, one that valorizes individualism, glorifies trolls, con artists, and conspiracy theorists, and imagines a world in which punishment and political violence are celebrated?  Through sharp analyses of the social composition of the far right, the affective conditions that underpin it, and the mainstream's inability to respond to it, Rodrigo Nunes argues that the far right's power comes not from some mysterious "outside" source, but from the unresolved conflicts produced by neoliberalism and the failed promises of contemporary capitalism. What emerges, then, is a portrait of a world in disintegration, beset by climate collapse, rampant inequality, and the proliferation of sacrifice zones for the poor and protected enclaves for the rich. It is essential that we understand the forces that are trying to accelerate that process--and how the left might effectively fight back.