"It's a Little Bit of Brazil": Fascism, Neoliberalism and the Contemporaneity of Education After Auschwitz

Abstract

In contemporary Brazil, marked by intense political radicalization and polarization directly associated with the expansion of far-right movements, warnings about the existence of a fascist modus operandi have become increasingly common. Motivated by this context, this article debates certain peculiarities of this contemporary "Brazilian-style fascism" in its connection with pronounced features of a voracious neoliberalism. To this end, it uses as its central analytical tool Theodor Adorno's essay named Education After Auschwitz, which, in a close dialogue with Freudian thought concerning the themes of mass psychology and civilization and its discontents, it proposes some theoretical and practical measures against the problem of totalitarian seduction. In conclusion, in addition to reaffirming some of Adorno's propositions, this work adds new elements to the author's perspective. In particular, it argues for an updated reflection on the excessive attachment of the individual to technology as a means of adherence to anti-democratic regimes, an issue that must now take into account the influence of the internet, the gig economy, and the emergence of a form of covert authoritarianism.