Policing Souls, Redeeming Nations: Evangelical Activism and the Far-Right Counterpolitics of Emotions in the Brazilian Police

Abstract

Abstract In liberal democracies, policing is conventionally understood as a secular and rational practice grounded in the rule of law. Yet this assumption is unsettled as religion re-emerges as a formative force in security governance. Across the contemporary global far right, religious nationalism increasingly legitimises authoritarian security agendas by fusing moral and emotional appeals with projects of exclusion and repression. This article argues that such dynamics hinge on what we term the counterpolitics of emotions, the political contestation through which actors seek to reshape the emotional norms that sustain liberal institutions. By reconfiguring how state agents feel about themselves, their work, and those they govern, these counterpolitics enable the affective normalization of authoritarian practices. The argument is developed through the case of Brazil, where Evangelical activism has become deeply entwined with policing. Drawing on documentary and interview data, the article shows how Evangelical chaplaincy organizations cultivate emotional repertoires that valorize pride and vulnerability while suppressing guilt and shame. In doing so, they recast police officers as divine subjects and policing as a Christian vocation. This emotional reorientation fuses Evangelical and far-right politics, transforming security institutions from within. The article thus demonstrates how counterpolitics of emotion underpin the rise of authoritarianism and contribute to its transnational diffusion.