THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CULTURAL MARXISM CONSPIRACY THEORY IN FATHER PAULO RICARDO’S ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE COMMUNICATION ON YOUTUBE

Abstract

In this study, we investigate how the conspiracy theory of cultural Marxism is constructed within the scope of ultraconservative politico-religious communication disseminated on the YouTube channel of Catholic priest Paulo Ricardo. Our hypothesis is that Paulo Ricardo’s lectures express a type of strategic politico-religious discourse that serves the ideological movement of Bolsonarism.  e study adopts Actor-Network   eory (ANT) as its theoretical-methodological framework, aiming to map the sociotechnical network that structures these video lectures, understood here as media artifacts that articulate subjects, discourses, and technologies.   e analysis reveals that cultural Marxism is constructed within a communicational network that ampli  es the ultraconservative discourse of traditionalist Catholicism, framing social and political issues in the context of a holy war of good versus evil, with a strong conspiratorial undertone. By examining the role of conspiracy theories in this process, the study contributes to the understanding of the controversies between conservative Catholicism and liberation theology, historically linked to Marxist thought.