Mirrors of Whiteness: Media, Middle-Class Resentment, and the Rise of the Far Right in Brazil

The conservative revolt of Brazils white middle class, which culminated with the 2018 election of far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro, is examined in Mauro P. Portos book Mirrors of Whiteness. He identifies the rise of a significant status panic among middle-class publics following the economic and social ascension of mostly Black and brown low-income laborers. The book highlights the role of the media in disseminating "mirrors of whiteness," or spheres of representation that allow white Brazilians to legitimate their power while softening or hiding the inequalities and injustices that such power generates.

Format: Hardback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 28 February 2023
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press

In his book titled "Mirrors of Whiteness," Mauro P. Porto delves into the conservative uprising of Brazil's white middle class, which reached its zenith with the election of far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro in 2018. He identifies the emergence of a significant status panic among middle-class publics as a result of the relative economic and social ascent of predominantly Black and brown low-income laborers. The book underscores the crucial role of the media in perpetuating "mirrors of whiteness," or spheres of representation that enable white Brazilians to assert their power while obscuring or downplaying the inequalities and injustices that such power engenders. Through a comprehensive analysis of representations of domestic workers in the telenovela "Cheias de Charme" and of news coverage of affirmative action by the magazine "Veja," Porto demonstrates that these individuals have embraced whiteness as an ideological perspective, fostering resentment among their audiences and contributing to the conservative backlash that unfolded in Brazil between 2013 and 2018.

In his book titled "Mirrors of Whiteness," Mauro P. Porto delves into the conservative uprising of Brazil's white middle class, which reached its zenith with the election of far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro in 2018. He identifies the emergence of a significant status panic among middle-class publics as a result of the relative economic and social ascent of predominantly Black and brown low-income laborers. The book underscores the crucial role of the media in perpetuating "mirrors of whiteness," or spheres of representation that enable white Brazilians to assert their power while obscuring or downplaying the inequalities and injustices that such power engenders. Through a comprehensive analysis of representations of domestic workers in the telenovela "Cheias de Charme" and of news coverage of affirmative action by the magazine "Veja," Porto demonstrates that these individuals have embraced whiteness as an ideological perspective, fostering resentment among their audiences and contributing to the conservative backlash that unfolded in Brazil between 2013 and 2018.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780822947523