Discursive Performance about Gender Political Violence by Brazilian Federal Deputies

The paper qualitatively analyzes the discursive performances and strategies of communication and construction of political identity adopted by the Brazilian Federal Deputies on social media. The focus is on the discursive practices of women parliamentarians whom positioned themselves in the right or as “neoconservatists” and in the left or as “human rights defenders”. Through digital ethnography and discursive analysis, the paper aims to answer how the posts published by their official profiles on X (ex-Twitter) and Instagram mobilized feminism and anti-feminism or anti-“gender ideology” discourses to create a cohesive identity for both sides in Brazil, specifically when commenting the issue of gender political violence. The processes of construction of political identity prioritized by them are scrutinized, especially when in contact with citizens and other political actors. The issue of gender political violence was chosen due to its centrality in the contemporary political debate in Brazil, constituting a central point of agreement in the agenda by Brazilian women parlamentarians. An axis for theoretical reflection is the way religious leadership and neoliberalism ideology are mixed in neoconservatives discourses in the Global South. On the other side, practices that highlight how minorities’ identities are built and their social places are considered strategic by the leftist. The similarities between the digital strategies of communication and representation mobilized by Brazilian parliamentarians on both sides show how the platforms of social media have been converted in a space for political conflict and collective action. A range of possibilities for public image management and construction of political identity is managed by them through these profiles, considering that political representation can be descriptive, substantive or symbolic. In this way, the representation of different ideologies is reflected in the practices, actions, speeches and propositions made by these political actors.