The Nature of Conspiracy Theories
Polity Press (Verlag)
978-1-5095-4082-2 (ISBN)
But what are conspiracy theories and why do people believe them? Have they always existed or are they something new, a feature of our modern world?
In this book Michael Butter provides a clear and comprehensive introduction to the nature and development of conspiracy theories. Contrary to popular belief, he shows that conspiracy theories are less popular and influential today than they were in the past. Up to the 1950s, the Western world regarded conspiracy theories as a legitimate form of knowledge and it was therefore normal to believe in them. It was only after the Second World War that this knowledge was delegitimized, causing conspiracy theories to be banished from public discourse and relegated to subcultures. The recent renaissance of conspiracy theories is linked to internet which gives them wider exposure and contributes to the fragmentation of the public sphere. Conspiracy theories are still stigmatized today in many sections of mainstream culture but are being accepted once again as legitimate knowledge in others. It is the clash between these domains and their different conceptions of truth that is fuelling the current debate over conspiracy theories.
Michael Butter is Professor of American Studies at the University of Tübingen
Acknowledgements Introduction, or: What’s the plan?
Notes
1 ‘Everything is planned’, or: What is a conspiracy theory?
Characteristics
Typologies
Conspiracy theories and real conspiracies
The term as a means of delegitimization
Conspiracy theories as theories
Notes
2 ‘Nothing is as it seems’, or: How do conspiracy theorists argue?
Structure and strategies of argumentation
Evidence
Countering the official version
Case study: Daniele Ganser
Metaphors and more
Notes
3 ‘Everything is connected’, or: Why do people believe in conspiracy theories?
Functions
Are conspiracy theories for losers?
Propaganda and commerce
Case study: Alex Jones
Notes
4 The story so far, or: How have conspiracy theories evolved historically?
Emergence and development up to the twentieth century
Delegitimization and stigmatization after 1945
Case study: the myth of the global Jewish conspiracy
Conspiracy theories and populism
Notes
5 Current trends, or: How is the internet changing conspiracy theories?
The ‘truth’ is just a Google search away
Relegitimization in the echo chamber
From conspiracy theories to conspiracy rumours
Case study: Donald Trump
Notes
Conclusion: When are conspiracy theories dangerous and what can we do about them?
Notes
Index
| Erscheinungsdatum | 05.10.2020 |
|---|---|
| Übersetzer | Sharon Howe |
| Verlagsort | Oxford |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 137 x 213 mm |
| Gewicht | 272 g |
| Themenwelt | Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte |
| Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Politische Theorie | |
| Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie | |
| ISBN-10 | 1-5095-4082-2 / 1509540822 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-5095-4082-2 / 9781509540822 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
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