Description
In The Four Waves of Modern Terrorism (2004), David C. Rapoport theorized that modern terrorism can be historically seen and understood through the Anarchist (1st/1879-1920s), Anticolonial (2nd/1919-1960s), New Left (3rd/1960s-1990s) and Religious (4th/1979-2020s?) Waves. Ideologically similar, the organizations within each Wave also share characteristics, such as a signature tactic, weaponry and targets. The energy driving them spreads globally and tends to last one generation. Since then, its explanatory power has been widely debated, sometimes challenged, but usually tested, corroborated and applied to uncover then overlooked Waves. Prominent during the New Left Wave, however, Brazil seems not to have experienced the Religious Wave but Far-Right Wave may already have hit it. Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s supporters-led January 6th and other occurrences made not only Rapoport himself, but many other Terrorism Studies scholars wonder whether these are shaping a Far-Right (5th) Wave What has been already called Bolsoterrorismo had its apogee when supporters of Former Brazil’s President Jair M. Bolsonaro stormed Brazils Congress and Supreme Court on January 08, 2023. Paying especial attention to the Christian themes within Bolsonarismo, the present research discusses how it can be better comprehended: a Religious Waves delay, a Far-Right Wave`s punctual or hybrid phenomenon.
