Given the Brazilian diversity, the political disputes around the culture

Abstract

Discussing from a sociosemiotic perspective how the relations of identity and its opposite, “alterity”, between social groups determine political practices, the purpose of this article is to account for the clashes between the ideological projects of the Left and the Extreme Right in Brazil, especially as regards culture, the field par excellence of the disputes between the idea of “national identity” and that of “Brazilian diversity”. The analysis starts from the most fundamental level of meaning production (identity vs alterity) and leads to a syntax of political practices that helps understanding the interactional processes that underlie ideological positions. The confrontation between, on the one hand, more democratic, and on the other, more authoritarian practices is reflected in diametrically opposed conceptions of cultural policies, either recognising diversity and searching for dialogue, or favouring national identity and giving rise to sectarianism.