1 Spring/Summer 2021 • volume xxvii, issue ii 1 Copyright © 2021 by the Brown Journal of World Afairs Afonso de Albuquerque is a full professor at the Communication Graduate Program at Fluminense Federal University. He has served as the president of the Brazilian Association of Communication Programs (COMPÓS) and the Brazilian Association of Political Communication Researchers (COMPOLÍTICA). His research interests include journalism, political communication, and comparative media studies. His previous works appeared in Journalism, Media, Culture and Society, Journalism Studies, Communication, Culture & Critique, and the International Journal of Communication. In the early 2010s, the consolidation of Brazilian democracy seemed a well- established fact. Although far from perfect, the prospects for Brazil’s future looked bright. Te economy was booming, and Brazil appeared to be on the verge of assuming a more prominent role in international politics. A few years later, Brazil’s fortune has reversed dramatically. In 2018, far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro won the Brazilian presidential election. Nostalgic for the military dictatorship that governed the country from 1964 to 1985, Bolsonaro has cham- pioned an anti-human rights agenda. Troughout his tenure, he has minimized the COVID-19 health crisis, 1 denied the existence of climate change, and used his platform to spread disinformation. 2 He often attacks the National Congress, Supreme Court, and press. Bolsonaro has even threatened these entities, argu- ing he has the Armed Forces and the people on his side. How did this happen? Tere are two models we can use to explain Brazil’s illiberal turn. Using medical metaphors, we can refer to them as the “infectious disease” and the “autoimmune disease” models. Te infectious disease model corresponds to the mainstream view of the problem; it places the blame for Brazil’s anti-democratic turn on political agents outside institutional politics. In this sense, they can be compared to external infectious agents, like viruses and bacteria. Fringe, populist politicians such as Bolsonaro provide a solid example of this analysis of an illiberal shift. By claiming to have a direct connection to the people, such The Two Sources of the Illiberal Turn in Brazil Afonso de Albuquerque