Abstract

AMARAL, Augusto Jobim do; ROSA, Pablo Ornelas  and  SABARIEGO, Jesús. From the Silicolonization of the World to Technoconservatism: The Revival of Brazilian Political Extremism in the 21st Century. rev.estud.soc. [online]. 2025, n.94, pp.65-84.  Epub Oct 23, 2025. ISSN 0123-885X.  https://doi.org/10.7440/res94.2025.04.

Drawing on Éric Sadin’s research on the so-called “silicolonization of the world,” this article analyzes the influence of U.S. neoliberal rationality, which amplified Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurial discourse. Originating in the 1970s with a countercultural bent, this discourse gradually aligned with the conservative perspective that Nancy Fraser describes as neoliberal reactionism. This rationality has gained growing prominence in international politics, enabling the far right to return to power in several countries in the 21st century, aided by digital platforms. In Brazil, technoconservatism emerged through the work of Olavo de Carvalho who, beginning in the late 1990s, mobilized diffuse segments of the far right and achieved significant visibility and influence in public opinion. This influence expanded especially through the rise of digital platforms and a publishing market dedicated to legitimizing his discourse by translating, publishing, and disseminating books used as weapons in the cultural war. Anchored in a Foucauldian genealogical perspective, the article is organized into two sections. The first offers a genealogy of the discourses produced in Silicon Valley and their historical moments, identifying the forces at play. The second outlines the foundations of Brazilian technoconservatism, showing not only its connections with the international far right but also mapping the individuals, groups, and companies that identify as conservative. The study reflects efforts to understand how the Brazilian far right is articulated with the radical and ultra-radical right abroad, while also underscoring its ties to digital platforms and their business models.

Keywords : conservatism; MAGA (Make America Great Again; technopolitics; Silicon Valle..

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