Conspiracy & Populism: The Politics of Misinformation

by Eiríkur Bergmann

Europeans are being replaced by foreign invaders, aided by cultural Marxists who are plotting an Islamist subversion of the continent. The Bilderberg group – and/or the Illuminati – are instating a totalitarian New World Order. Angela Merkel is the secret daughter of Adolf Hitler, Barack Obama was illegitimate, and George W. Bush was in on the 9/11 attacks. Also, the Holocaust is a hoax, members of Pussy Riot are agents of the West, and the European Union is resurrecting the Roman Empire, this time as a communist super-state. These are some of the tales that are told by populist political actors across Europe, were raised during the Brexit debate in the UK, and have been promoted by presidents of both the US and Russia. Rapid rise of populist political parties around Europe and across the Atlantic in the early new millennium coincided with the simultaneous increased spread of conspiracy theories. This book entangles the two tropes and maps how right-wing populists apply conspiracy theories to advance their politics and support for their parties.

 

Genres: Conspiracy Theories

243 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 20, 2018

About the author

Eirikur Bergmann is Professor of Politics at Bifrost University, Iceland.

Reviews

[Kateřina Kňapová · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stručná a čtivě napsaná kniha o propojení zejména pravicového populismu a extremismu se základními konspiračními teoriemi. Ideální pro nováčky v tomto poli, zkušenější si najdou spíš pár zajímavostí, jinak nic převratného.

[Axel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Að mörgu leiti fróðleg. Þó endurtekið efni á köflum, sem er ef til vill eðlilegt fyrir fræðibók. Mætti vera betur lesin yfir, innsláttarvillur hér og þar og ansi leiðinlegar villur á dagsetningum.