Uploaded April 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
As part of the 2022 Austrian Studies Conference, Far-Right Politics in Austria, Europe, and the United States: Recent Trends and Transatlantic Connections, Prof. Karin Liebhart (University of Vienna) will be delivering the 2022 Botstiber Lecture on the rise of far-right movement QAnon in Austria.
QAnon, one of the most bizarre conspiracy theories of modern times, followed by millions of social media users in the United States, has significantly gained ground also in Austria and a couple of other European countries since it first emerged in Europe in 2017. QAnon symbols and references to alleged conspiracies are particularly visible at so-called "Corona rallies“. Prof. Liebhart discusses why Austria is an interesting case in this regard. She focuses on underlying anti-pluralistic, anti-liberal, and anti-Semitic patterns that mold the political culture of Austria to explain why centuries old conspiracy theories that have returned from the United States to Europe in new garments currently achieve such striking success. The results highlight the adaptation of QAnon’s US based narratives into EU-centered – or even local – narratives. They also shed light on QAnon’s capacity to give a home to diverse and even contradictory narratives, and its function as a conspiracy theory sponge, which makes it particularly attractive also for European far right politicians and activists.
As part of the 2022 Austrian Studies Conference, Far-Right Politics in Austria, Europe, and the United States: Recent Trends and Transatlantic Connections, Prof. Karin Liebhart (University of Vienna) will be delivering the 2022 Botstiber Lecture on the rise of far-right movement QAnon in Austria.
QAnon, one of the most bizarre conspiracy theories of modern times, followed by millions of social media users in the United States, has significantly gained ground also in Austria and a couple of other European countries since it first emerged in Europe in 2017. QAnon symbols and references to alleged conspiracies are particularly visible at so-called "Corona rallies“. Prof. Liebhart discusses why Austria is an interesting case in this regard. She focuses on underlying anti-pluralistic, anti-liberal, and anti-Semitic patterns that mold the political culture of Austria to explain why centuries old conspiracy theories that have returned from the United States to Europe in new garments currently achieve such striking success. The results highlight the adaptation of QAnon’s US based narratives into EU-centered – or even local – narratives. They also shed light on QAnon’s capacity to give a home to diverse and even contradictory narratives, and its function as a conspiracy theory sponge, which makes it particularly attractive also for European far right politicians and activists.
