Prof. Dr. Michael Butter (Tübingen): Conspiracy Theories / Conspiracy Narratives
23.01.2025, 18-20 Uhr, Senatssaal (K.11.07) & Zoom
Conspiracy Theories / Conspiracy Narratives
Vortrag von Prof. Dr. Michael Butter, Universität Tübingen
Die Veranstaltung wird auch per Zoom übertragen, Anmeldungen sind unter folgendem Link möglich:
https://uni-wuppertal.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5IkcuuhpjgoG9aF-Th-ckZiIQ7_hXzA4AT6
Abstract:
This talk investigates the relationship between conspiracy theory and narrative. The first part will draw on some of the most important studies in the field to demonstrate that there are good reasons to regard conspiracy theories as narratives, and to identify some of the specific characteristics of these narratives both in their openly fictional and allegedly factual form. By way of a detour through the heated German public debate on the alleged inappropriateness of the term “conspiracy theory,” the talk will then work to refine our understanding of the relationship between conspiracy theory and narrative. As we will see, the term “conspiracy theory” has for the past decades been used rather uncritically used to refer to phenomena situated on very different levels: to specific texts as well as larger cultural narratives. I will therefore return to some of the examples I draw on in the first part of my talk and introduce a more nuanced terminology that acknowledges these differences and that may allow us to better understand the phenomenon at hand. For example, the terminology I will suggest acknowledges that conspiracy theories are usually articulated as narratives but that not all manifestations of conspiracism occur necessarily in narrative form.
