Legal and public safety professionals, conservatism and democratic backsliding

Abstract

This paper examines the reconfiguration of professional forces within the justice and  public safety sectors in Brazil, highlighting their potential alignment with anti-democratic agendas and the broader phenomenon of political polarization. The study seeks to understand how professionals in advanced career positions perceive the weakening of the Rule of Law and the role of these institutions in safeguarding democratic order. Three guiding questions structure the investigation: first,  how movements toward democratic backsliding and resistance are manifested; second, how professionalism and the making and blurring of professional boundaries are discursively mobilized in 
polarized disputes, particularly in relation to politics; and third, how women’s participation shapes moral rhetoric within this contested space. Methodologically, the research combines qualitative and 
quantitative approaches. The qualitative component includes 23 semi-structured interviews with women professionals in law, justice, and public safety; observation at an event organized by the Institute for the Defense of Men's Rights; and a visit to the Brazilian Association of Conservative Jurists. The quantitative component draws on electoral data from the 27 regional sections of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) in 2021 and 2024, alongside a survey of 363 respondents occupying senior positions in justice and public safety, as well as specialists and politicians engaged with the agenda. By integrating these perspectives, the paper illuminates the tensions between democratic resilience and erosion, the discursive strategies of professional actors, and the gendered dimensions of moral rhetoric in the struggle over the future of democratic institutions.