A leading political philosopher dissects the global far right’s appeal through the lens of Bolsonarismo, tracing its roots to the social disintegration caused by the crisis of neoliberalism and looming climate change
For four years, Jair Bolsonaro led Brazil and the popular, far-right movement that bore his name. His rise, defeat, and the chaos he left in his wake reflect patterns that are playing out in several countries, from the US to Argentina to India. In Anatomy of Disintegration, Rodrigo Nunes uses Brazil as a point of departure to make sense of why the far right is on the rise all over the world, where its appeal comes from, and explain the dystopian horizon it is moving toward.
Through sharp, original analyses of the social composition of its supporters, the material and affective conditions that underpin it, and the mainstream’s inability to respond to it, Rodrigo Nunes argues that the contemporary far right is better understood not as an effort to block but as an attempt to harness and accelerate forces of social disintegration set in motion by capital and intensified by the crisis of neoliberalism.
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“Anatomy of Disintegration is a sharp, incisive analysis of the material and affective conditions that underpin the global rise of the far right. Compelling, provocative, and deeply insightful, this is essential reading for understanding the contemporary far right—and the transformative political possibilities that we must pursue instead.”
—Naomi Klein, coauthor of End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World
“Where most bring a bludgeon, Nunes brings a scalpel. From observations of the ‘lumpen elite’ and crowds shouting ‘we want my money!’ to the exposure of the recreational nihilism and brand subjection that so many of us participate in, his analysis gives no quarter. A necessary book.”
—Quinn Slobodian, author of Hayek’s Bastards and coauthor of Muskism
“In his razor-sharp analysis of Bolsonarismo, Rodrigo Nunes builds a globally relevant perspective on the far right from the point of view of the periphery. At once sobering and entertaining, I can think of few other works that so astutely and bracingly illuminate the challenges before us. A must read.”
—Melinda Cooper, author of Family Values: Between Neoliberalism and the New Social Conservatism
“In its original Portuguese, Do Transe à Vertigem helped me more than any other work to understand the far right. Now, in an expanded English-language edition, Nunes speaks to a global audience on the topic of our very survival. Rodrigo Nunes is one of Brazil’s most insightful and exciting thinkers, and Anatomy of Disintegration is essential.”
—Vincent Bevins, author of If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution
“Tracing the history of the far right starting from the world’s peripheries enables us to understand the centrality of processes that are time and again dismissed as ‘marginal.’ Using the notion of the ‘anatomy’ of social disintegration, Nunes offers an analysis of the ways in which neoliberalism reorganizes itself and, above all, accelerates. These are essential lessons for reflecting on the organic links between cycles of struggle that have challenged this logic of disintegration.”
—Verónica Gago, author of Neoliberalism from Below and Feminist International
“Toggling between Brazil, the United States, and the world, this illuminating book provides an original and insightful analysis of the many facets of contemporary far-right movements, demonstrating how and why they have become a global phenomenon.”
—Michael Hardt, author of Empire and Multitude
“Brilliant and counterintuitive, Anatomy of Disintegration dissects the emergence of Bolsonarismo in Brazil and exposes its key tropes of individualism, punitiveness, and order above the law. Eschewing as too simple the label ‘fascism,’ the book demonstrates how a focus on the Global South can shed light on the rise of the far right in the United States and Europe. A powerful diagnosis that makes for an urgent call to action.”
—Bernard E. Harcourt, author of The Counterrevolution: How Our Government Went to War Against Its Own Citizens
“Undoubtedly one of the most valuable contributions to the ongoing effort to understand fascism in its contemporary configuration.”
—Suely Rolnik, author of Molecular Revolution in Brazil
“Anatomy of Disintegration offers the sharpest analysis of what empowers the far right in our current media environment. By looking at these issues from the South, from the particular case of Brazilian politics, it uncovers many features of what most of us encounter, but often fail to identify, within our more familiar Northern political stages. Its clarity and depth of conceptualization, putting affective infrastructures at the core of the problems, brings precious help for progressive movements to redefine new (and better) strategies in front of very alarming threats.”
—Yves Citton, author of The Ecology of Attention and Mediarchy
“Through the lens of Bolsonarismo, Rodrigo Nunes zeros in on the challenge that the enduring success of the far right forces the left to face, in Brazil and beyond: How do we reckon with the appeal of political actors who promise radical positive change while reassuring their own supporters that they, and only they, won’t need to change their ways? To put it in the words of the author, how do bold leftists convince a majority of people that, instead of hating particular categories of players, they should hate the game, when their opponents thrive on telling voters that hating other players can spare them the hazardous work of changing the game? To start answering that question seriously and intransigently, Anatomy of Disintegration is a must read.”
—Michel Feher, author of Rated Agency. Investee Activism in a Speculative Age and cofounder of Zone Books and Diagrammes