Conspiracy Theory In Film Television And Politics

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Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television, and Politics

Author : Gordon B. Arnold
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 1567207227
Total Pages : 201 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (672 download)

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Book Synopsis Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television, and Politics by : Gordon B. Arnold

Download or read book Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television, and Politics written by Gordon B. Arnold and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2008-09-30 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the assassination of John F. Kennedy, motion pictures and television productions-some based on historical fact and conjecture, others clearly fanciful-have embraced the idea that conspiracies shape many events, hide others, and generally dictate much of the course of modern life, often to the disadvantage of the average person. As a result, conspiracy theories have developed into a potent undercurrent in American politics. By the 1990s, it was not unusual to find conspiracies used as explanations for a wide range of political events that would otherwise seem to have quite ordinary explanations. Thus, a vast right-wing conspiracy was suggested as the source of Bill Clinton's troubles, just as conspiracy-like machinations of the liberal media were used to explain why the picture of world events did not coincide with conservative views. And this is to say nothing of the bitter arguments that still erupt over varying explanations for the attacks of 9/11. Regardless of a person's opinion about such claims, what these and many other examples clearly show is that conspiracy-theory explanations have penetrated mainstream American thought. Here, author Gordon Arnold examines the evolution of this cultural climate in the United States. Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television, and Politics examines the intersection of various film and television productions in the context of unfolding political developments. The chapters follow this story chronologically, showing how screen media have both reflected and shaped the cultural milieu in which traumatic events and political controversies have been interpreted with increasing cynicism. The work also reviews the original contexts in which film, television, and political manifestations of conspiracy ideas first appeared.

Hollywood and the CIA

Author : Oliver Boyd Barrett
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1136806768
Total Pages : 225 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (368 download)

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Book Synopsis Hollywood and the CIA by : Oliver Boyd Barrett

Download or read book Hollywood and the CIA written by Oliver Boyd Barrett and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2011-03 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book investigates representations of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Hollywood films, and the synergies between Hollywood product, U.S. military/defense interests and U.S. foreign policy. As probably the best known of the many different intelligence agencies of the US, the CIA is an exceptionally well known national and international icon or even "brand," one that exercises a powerful influence on the imagination of people throughout the world as well as on the creative minds of filmmakers. The book examines films sampled from five decades - the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s - and explores four main issues: the relative prominence of the CIA; the extent to which these films appeared to be overtly political; the degree to which they were favorable or unfavorable to the CIA; and their relative attitude to the "business" of intelligence. A final chapter considers the question: do these Hollywood texts appear to function ideologically to "normalize" the CIA? If so, might this suggest the further hypothesis that many CIA movies assist audiences with reconciling two sometimes fundamental opposites: often gruesome covert CIA activity for questionable goals and at enormous expense, on the one hand, and the values and procedures of democratic society, on the other. This interdisciplinary book will be of much interest to students of the CIA/Intelligence Studies, media and film studies, US politics and IR/Security Studies in general.

Conspiracy Cinema

Author : David Ray Carter
Publisher : SCB Distributors
ISBN 13 : 1900486970
Total Pages : 280 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (4 download)

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Book Synopsis Conspiracy Cinema by : David Ray Carter

Download or read book Conspiracy Cinema written by David Ray Carter and published by SCB Distributors. This book was released on 2012-09-28 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The only guide to this emerging genre of cinema. Still marginalized by mainstream media, conspiracy theories are a growing influence on the contemporary political imagination, thanks to internet distribution of conspiracy cinema – documentaries presenting conspiratorial explanations everything from 9/11 to the Kennedy assassinations, Roswell to the causes of HIV. One hundred million people around the world have watched one of these films and this is the first book to explain and explore what they are seeing. Lighthearted, funny, and interactive, this is the definitive and only guide to this intriguing and immensely popular form of modern entertainment.

Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories

Author : Michael Butter
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429840586
Total Pages : 1043 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (298 download)

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Book Synopsis Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories by : Michael Butter

Download or read book Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories written by Michael Butter and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-02-17 with total page 1043 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Taking a global and interdisciplinary approach, the Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories provides a comprehensive overview of conspiracy theories as an important social, cultural and political phenomenon in contemporary life. This handbook provides the most complete analysis of the phenomenon to date. It analyses conspiracy theories from a variety of perspectives, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. It maps out the key debates, and includes chapters on the historical origins of conspiracy theories, as well as their political significance in a broad range of countries and regions. Other chapters consider the psychology and the sociology of conspiracy beliefs, in addition to their changing cultural forms, functions and modes of transmission. This handbook examines where conspiracy theories come from, who believes in them and what their consequences are. This book presents an important resource for students and scholars from a range of disciplines interested in the societal and political impact of conspiracy theories, including Area Studies, Anthropology, History, Media and Cultural Studies, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology.

American Conspiracy Theories

Author : Joseph E. Uscinski
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199351821
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (993 download)

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Book Synopsis American Conspiracy Theories by : Joseph E. Uscinski

Download or read book American Conspiracy Theories written by Joseph E. Uscinski and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014-08-05 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We are living in an age of conspiracy theories, whether it's enduring, widely held beliefs such as government involvement in the Kennedy assassination or alien activity at Roswell, fears of a powerful infiltrating group such as the Illuminati, Jews, Catholics, or communists, or modern fringe movements of varying popularity such as birtherism and trutherism. What is it in American culture that makes conspiracy theories proliferate? Who is targeted, and why? Are we in the heyday of the conspiracy theory, or is it in decline? Though there is significant scholarly literature on the topic in psychology, sociology, philosophy, and more, American Conspiracy Theories is the first to use broad, long-term empirical data to analyze this popular American tendency. Joseph E. Uscinski and Joseph M. Parent draw on three sources of original data: 120,000 letters to the editor of the New York Times and Chicago Tribune from between 1890 and 2010; a two-wave survey from before and after the 2012 presidential election; and discussions of conspiracy theories culled from online news sources, blogs, and other Web sites, also from before and after the election. Through these sources, they are able to address crucial questions, such as similarities and differences in the nature of conspiracy theories over time, the role of the Internet and communications technologies in spreading modern conspiracy theories, and whether politics, economics, media, war, or other factors are most important in popularizing conspiratorial beliefs. Ultimately, they conclude that power asymmetries, both foreign and domestic, are the main drivers behind conspiracy theories, and that those at the bottom of power hierarchies have a strategic interest in blaming those at the top-in other words, "conspiracy theories are for losers." But these "losers" can end up having tremendous influence on the course of history, and American Conspiracy Theories is an unprecedented examination of one of the defining features of American political life.

Conspiracy Theories

Author : Jeffrey B. Webb
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 1440877718
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (48 download)

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Book Synopsis Conspiracy Theories by : Jeffrey B. Webb

Download or read book Conspiracy Theories written by Jeffrey B. Webb and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2024-04-04 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides a comprehensive guide to the history and current shape of conspiracy theories in American life, including the findings of research seeking to understand their origins, type, function, and widespread appeal. This all-in-one resource provides an accessible overview of conspiracy theories past and present in all their many forms. Taking an even-handed, scholarly approach, the book outlines the longer history of conspiracy theories, starting with Ancient Greece and Rome and continuing the story up to the present day, including analysis of 9/11, anti-vaccine, COVID, and QAnon theories. It surveys an array of current books and articles to try to understand why people believe in and act on outlandish and evidence-free conspiracy theories. Notably, this resource also outlines the problems created by untrue conspiracy theories in terms of their negative impact on public debate, trust in others, and efforts to nurture an informed and educated citizenry. Instead, many conspiracy claims have become sources of misinformation, cynicism, and polarization. This book will benefit anyone who seeks a pathway through our current "epistemic crisis" in which the lines between fact and fiction-and between truth and falsehood-have become blurred.

Conspiracy Theories

Author : Mark Fenster
Publisher : U of Minnesota Press
ISBN 13 : 0816632421
Total Pages : 315 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (166 download)

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Book Synopsis Conspiracy Theories by : Mark Fenster

Download or read book Conspiracy Theories written by Mark Fenster and published by U of Minnesota Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: JFK, Karl Marx, the Pope, Aristotle Onassis, Queen Elizabeth II, Howard Hughes, Fox Mulder, Bill Clinton -- all have been linked to vastly complicated global (or even galactic) intrigues. In this enlightening tour of conspiracy theories, Mark Fenster guides readers through this shadowy world and analyzes its complex role in American culture and politics. Fenster argues that conspiracy theories are a form of popular political interpretation and contends that understanding how they circulate through mass culture helps us better understand our society as a whole. To that end, he discusses Richard Hofstadter's The Paranoid Style in American Politics, the militia movement, The X-Files, popular Christian apocalyptic thought, and such artifacts of suspicion as The Turner Diaries, the Illuminatus! trilogy, and the novels of Richard Condon. Fenster analyzes the "conspiracy community" of radio shows, magazine and book publishers, Internet resources, and role-playing games that promote these theories. In this world, the very denial of a conspiracy's existence becomes proof that it exists, and the truth is always "out there." He believes conspiracy theory has become a thrill for a bored subculture, one characterized by its members' reinterpretation of "accepted" history, their deep cynicism about contemporary politics, and their longing for a utopian future. Fenster's progressive critique of conspiracy theories both recognizes the secrecy and inequities of power in contemporary politics and economics and works toward effective political engagement. Probing conspiracy theory's tendencies toward scapegoating, racism, and fascism, as well as Hofstadter's centrist acceptance of a postwar American"consensus, " he advocates what conspiracy theory wants but cannot articulate: a more inclusive, engaging political culture.

Handbook of Conspiracy Theory and Contemporary Religion

Author : Asbjørn Dyrendal
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 900438202X
Total Pages : 570 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (43 download)

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Book Synopsis Handbook of Conspiracy Theory and Contemporary Religion by : Asbjørn Dyrendal

Download or read book Handbook of Conspiracy Theory and Contemporary Religion written by Asbjørn Dyrendal and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2018-10-02 with total page 570 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Handbook of Conspiracy Theories and Contemporary Religion is the first collection to offer a comprehensive overview of conspiracy theories and their relationship with religion(s), taking a global and interdisciplinary perspective.

The 1980s British Conspiracy Thriller

Author : Paul Lynch
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1666913162
Total Pages : 193 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (669 download)

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Book Synopsis The 1980s British Conspiracy Thriller by : Paul Lynch

Download or read book The 1980s British Conspiracy Thriller written by Paul Lynch and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2022-08-29 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, Paul Lynch explores the genre of the British conspiracy thriller, a confrontational and dark response to what novelists and filmmakers perceived as an increasingly Orwellian secret state in the political landscape of the time. Through analyses of a variety of film and television productions, Lynch examines the ways in which they were influenced by their Hollywood and European counterparts and the work of John le Carré, conveying the real-world practices of the British intelligence services that served as inspiration and evaluating the genre’s effectiveness in providing meaningful political commentary to mainstream audiences. Lynch draws on extensive interviews with novelists, film producers, screenwriters, and directors to form the basis of detailed and original case studies about films such as Defence of the Realm (1986), The Whistle Blower (1986), and The Fourth Protocol (1987). In addition to these case studies, Lynch also includes declassified intelligence material and interviews with former members of the intelligence community to reveal the extent to which popular television and cinema accurately reflected the inner workings of the security services at that time. Scholars of film studies, cultural history, political science, and adaptation studies will find this book of particular interest.

Taking Conspiracy Theories Seriously

Author : Matthew R. X. Dentith
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1786608308
Total Pages : 267 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (866 download)

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Book Synopsis Taking Conspiracy Theories Seriously by : Matthew R. X. Dentith

Download or read book Taking Conspiracy Theories Seriously written by Matthew R. X. Dentith and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2018-11-16 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The contributors to this volume argue that whilst there is a commonplace superstition conspiracy theories are examples of bad beliefs (and that the kind of people who believe conspiracy theories are typically irrational), many conspiracy theories are rational to believe: the members of the Dewey Commission were right to say that the Moscow Trials of the 1930s were a sham; Woodward and Bernstein were correct to think that Nixon was complicit in the conspiracy to deny any wrongdoing in the Watergate Hotel break in; and if we either accept the terrorist events of 9/11 were committed by Al-Qaeda, or that the Bush Administration was responsible, then it seems we are endorsing some theory about a conspiracy to commit an act of terror on American soil. As such, there is no reason to reject conspiracy theories sui generis. This volume challenges the prima facie that conspiracy theories are irrational beliefs, arguing that we should treat conspiracy theories and the phenomena of conspiracy theories seriously. It presents fresh perspectives from the wider philosophical, sociological and psychological community on what is becoming an issue of increasing relevance in our time.

Middle Eastern Television Drama

Author : Christa Salamandra
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000877531
Total Pages : 146 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis Middle Eastern Television Drama by : Christa Salamandra

Download or read book Middle Eastern Television Drama written by Christa Salamandra and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-06-21 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This monograph explores and investigates key issues facing Middle Eastern societies, including religion and sectarianism, history and collective memory, urban space and socioeconomic difference, policing and securitization, and gender relations. In the Middle East, television drama creators serve as public intellectuals who, with uncanny prescience, tell the world something. As this volume demonstrates, fictional television provides a crucial space for social and political debate in much of the region. Writing from a range disciplines—anthropology, communication, folklore, gender studies, history, and law— contributors include seasoned academics who have dedicated their careers to researching Middle Eastern media and emerging scholars who build on earlier work and introduce fresh perspectives. Together, they provide an invaluable overview of Middle Eastern serial television and their political impact, drawing examples from Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. Bringing together a diverse range of academic perspectives, this book will be of key interest to students and scholars in media and communication studies, Middle Eastern Studies, and popular culture studies.

Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them

Author : Joseph E. Uscinski
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190844108
Total Pages : 384 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (98 download)

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Book Synopsis Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them by : Joseph E. Uscinski

Download or read book Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them written by Joseph E. Uscinski and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-10-16 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Conspiracy theories are inevitable in complex human societies. And while they have always been with us, their ubiquity in our political discourse is nearly unprecedented. Their salience has increased for a variety of reasons including the increasing access to information among ordinary people, a pervasive sense of powerlessness among those same people, and a widespread distrust of elites. Working in combination, these factors and many other factors are now propelling conspiracy theories into our public sphere on a vast scale. In recent years, scholars have begun to study this genuinely important phenomenon in a concerted way. In Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them, Joseph E. Uscinski has gathered forty top researchers on the topic to provide both the foundational tools and the evidence to better understand conspiracy theories in the United States and around the world. Each chapter is informed by three core questions: Why do so many people believe in conspiracy theories? What are the effects of such theories when they take hold in the public? What can or should be done about the phenomenon? Combining systematic analysis and cutting-edge empirical research, this volume will help us better understand an extremely important, yet relatively neglected, phenomenon.

Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories in American History [2 volumes]

Author : Christopher R. Fee
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 668 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (16 download)

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Book Synopsis Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories in American History [2 volumes] by : Christopher R. Fee

Download or read book Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories in American History [2 volumes] written by Christopher R. Fee and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2019-05-24 with total page 668 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This up-to-date introduction to the complex world of conspiracies and conspiracy theories provides insight into why millions of people are so ready to believe the worst about our political, legal, religious, and financial institutions. Unsupported theories provide simple explanations for catastrophes that are otherwise difficult to understand, from the U.S. Civil War to the Stock Market Crash of 1929 to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Ideas about shadowy networks that operate behind a cloak of secrecy, including real organizations like the CIA and the Mafia and imagined ones like the Illuminati, additionally provide a way for people to criticize prevailing political and economic arrangements, while for society's disadvantaged and forgotten groups, conspiracy theories make their suffering and alienation comprehensible and provide a focal point for their economic or political frustrations. These volumes detail the highly controversial and influential phenomena of conspiracies and conspiracy theories in American society. Through interpretive essays and factual accounts of various people, organizations, and ideas, the reader will gain a much greater appreciation for a set of beliefs about political scheming, covert intelligence gathering, and criminal rings that has held its grip on the minds of millions of American citizens and encouraged them to believe that the conspiracies may run deeper, and with a global reach.

The Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories

Author : M. Dentith
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 1137363169
Total Pages : 190 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (373 download)

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Book Synopsis The Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories by : M. Dentith

Download or read book The Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories written by M. Dentith and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-11-06 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Conspiracy theories are a popular topic of conversation in everyday life but are often frowned upon in academic discussions. Looking at the recent spate of philosophical interest in conspiracy theories, The Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories looks at whether the assumption that belief in conspiracy theories is typically irrational is well founded

The South China Sea Arbitration

Author : Alfredo C. Robles
Publisher : Liverpool University Press
ISBN 13 : 1782845836
Total Pages : 361 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (828 download)

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Book Synopsis The South China Sea Arbitration by : Alfredo C. Robles

Download or read book The South China Sea Arbitration written by Alfredo C. Robles and published by Liverpool University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-01 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The South China Sea Arbitration, which marks the first time that the Philippines and China have been parties to a compulsory dispute settlement procedure, is a landmark legal case. The Tribunal tackled head-on critical issues in the interpretation and application of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea that other international courts have failed to address, particularly the compatibility of historic rights with the Convention, the identification of maritime features as permanently submerged or above water at high-tide, and the distinction between features that are fully entitled to maritime zones and those that are not. In addition, the Tribunal also had to decide on issues as diverse as near-collisions at sea, illegal fishing of giant clams and sea turtles, and the destruction of fragile coral reefs resulting from island-building. The Tribunals task was rendered arduous by Chinas refusal to appear before it. In these circumstances, understanding the Tribunals decisions is a challenging undertaking. Chinas public relations campaign targeting the proceedings raised issues that the layperson could readily grasp, notably African states support for its non-appearance, the integrity of the judges, and the validity of arbitral awards. Understanding the Awards and Debating with China aims to facilitate understanding of the South China Sea Arbitration by presenting detailed summaries of the two Arbitral Awards. The author rebuts the questionable claims raised by Chinas public relations campaign and highlights Chinas covert actions during the proceedings.

The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Persuasion

Author : Elizabeth Suhay
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190860820
Total Pages : 912 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (98 download)

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Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Persuasion by : Elizabeth Suhay

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Persuasion written by Elizabeth Suhay and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-04-01 with total page 912 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Elections are the means by which democratic nations determine their leaders, and communication in the context of elections has the potential to shape people's beliefs, attitudes, and actions. Thus, electoral persuasion is one of the most important political processes in any nation that regularly holds elections. Moreover, electoral persuasion encompasses not only what happens in an election but also what happens before and after, involving candidates, parties, interest groups, the media, and the voters themselves. This volume surveys the vast political science literature on this subject, emphasizing contemporary research and topics and encouraging cross-fertilization among research strands. A global roster of authors provides a broad examination of electoral persuasion, with international perspectives complementing deep coverage of U.S. politics. Major areas of coverage include: general models of political persuasion; persuasion by parties, candidates, and outside groups; media influence; interpersonal influence; electoral persuasion across contexts; and empirical methodologies for understanding electoral persuasion.

Conspiracies of Conspiracies

Author : Thomas Milan Konda
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022658593X
Total Pages : 451 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (265 download)

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Book Synopsis Conspiracies of Conspiracies by : Thomas Milan Konda

Download or read book Conspiracies of Conspiracies written by Thomas Milan Konda and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2019-03-15 with total page 451 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It’s tempting to think that we live in an unprecedentedly fertile age for conspiracy theories, with seemingly each churn of the news cycle bringing fresh manifestations of large-scale paranoia. But the sad fact is that these narratives of suspicion—and the delusional psychologies that fuel them—have been a constant presence in American life for nearly as long as there’s been an America. In this sweeping book, Thomas Milan Konda traces the country’s obsession with conspiratorial thought from the early days of the republic to our own anxious moment. Conspiracies of Conspiracies details centuries of sinister speculations—from antisemitism and anti-Catholicism to UFOs and reptilian humanoids—and their often incendiary outcomes. Rather than simply rehashing the surface eccentricities of such theories, Konda draws from his unprecedented assemblage of conspiratorial writing to crack open the mindsets that lead people toward these self-sealing worlds of denial. What is distinctively American about these theories, he argues, is not simply our country’s homegrown obsession with them but their ongoing prevalence and virulence. Konda proves that conspiracy theories are no harmless sideshow. They are instead the dark and secret heart of American political history—one that is poisoning the bloodstream of an increasingly sick body politic.