30228 - Sociology of conspiracy theories - summer-term 2023
Philipp Wunderlich
Institute of sociology, Freie Universität Berlin
2023-04-27
What are conspiracy theories? Provide a definition from a sociological perspective. Try to specify which elements are necessary and/or sufficient conditions for calling something a conspiracy theory. Avoid too narrow or too broad definitions.
How can sociology explain conspiracy beliefs? Course readings provide macro-level (political, historical and socio-structural conditions) and micro-level (psychological motives) accounts of different possible causes for conspiracy beliefs. Try to formulate an integrative explanation from a sociological perspective.
Which are potential problems for researching conspiracy theories from a sociological vantage point? What would be your suggestions to overcome these problems?
What is the paranoid style of politics?
How do conspiracy narratives correspond to socio-political conditions?
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“the clinical paranoid sees the hostile and conspiratorial world in which he feels himself to be living as directed specifically against him; whereas the spokesman of the paranoid style finds it directed against a nation, a culture, a way of life whose fate affects not himself alone but millions of others.” (Hofstadter, 1996, p. 4)
“Of course, the term ”paranoid style” is pejorative, and it is meant to be; the paranoid style has a greater affinity for bad causes than good. But nothing entirely prevents a sound program or a sound issue from being advocated in the paranoid style […]. Style has to do with the way in which ideas are believed and advocated rather than with the truth or falsity of their content.” (Hofstadter, 1996, p. 5)
A distorted style is, then, a possible signal that may alert us to a distorted judgement. (6)
“The association, he thought, was formed,”for the express purpose of ROOTING OUT ALL THE RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENTS, AND OVERTURNING ALL THE EXlST1NG GOVERNMENTS OF EUROPE.”” (Hofstadter, 1996, p. 11)
“He saw it as a libertine, anti-Christian movement, given to the corruption of women, the cultivation of sensual pleasures, and the violation of property rights.” (Hofstadter, 1996, p. 11)
“Finally, at a moment when practically every alleged citadel of privilege in America was under democratic assault, Masonry was held to be a fraternity of the privileged classes, closing business opportunities and nearly monopolizing political offices,” (Hofstadter, 1996, p. 17)
„A further aspect of anti-Masonry that is at once arresting and puzzling to the modem mind is the obsession with the character of Masonic oaths. Oaths were considered to be blasphemous, since they were profanations of a transaction with God, and contrary to civil order, since they set up a secret pattern of loyalties inconsistent with normal civil obligations.” (Hofstadter, 1996, p. 18)
“Ignorant, ill-educated immigrants, incapable of undemanding the institutions of the United States, would supplement the efforts of wily Jesuit agents.” (Hofstadter, 1996, p. 20)
“A great tide of immigration, hostile to free institutions, was sweeping in upon the country, subsidized and sent by ”the potentates of Europe,” multiplying tumult and violence, filling jails, crowding poorhouses, quadrupling taxation, and sending increasing thousands of voters to”lay their inexperienced hand upon the helm of our power” (Hofstadter, 1996, p. 21)
Absolute scope of conspiracy
Apocalyptic narratives
Manichean outlook
The enemy shapes history
Enemy as projection of the self
The renegade
Obsession with evidence and leaps of imagination
struggles, catastrophes and a lack of political representation
(…) maybe the range and the number of people who believe in conspiracy theories is a lot larger now because of the globalization and the usage of social media. Compared to the past, I think conspiracy theories have become disseminated at a faster pace. Also how these theories are becoming more and more popular by the media can be a difference between two.
(…) popular conspiracy theories today struggle to identify who the persecuted party is. (…) The conspiracies described by Hofstadter had historical context and some reality-based argumentation even if it was exaggerated or misrepresnted. QANON and the Covid/Antivax conspiracies, many of them are based on online-fantasy then adjusted to fit whatever narative needs to be presented in the moment, which also makes them extremely difficult to keep track of, verify, or disprove.
For instance, in the vaccination conspiracies, the concern was not a certain way of life, it was rather human health which made it so universal and believable by massive groups.
I don’t think that the modern conspiracy theories are that different. The fear of strangers, loosing your privileges (…) is something that is common in a lot of conspiracy theories.
paranoia is markedly irrational.
Should we treat believers in CTs as paranoid?
Which problems may arise?