Uploaded August 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The High Cabal and the Lynch Mob: Exploring Conspiracism Through René Girard’s Scapegoating Theory - Michel Jacques Gagné
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Disclaimer: This session was delivered for the 2023 ICSA Conference. The speaker of this session does not speak on behalf of ICSA as an organization.
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Abstract: Belief in conspiracy theories has been described as a type of alternative (or post-modern) religious expression and association (Barkun, 2011; Robertson and Dyrendal, 2019). Examples include conspiracists' self-perception as victims of "official" dogmas and as keepers of "stigmatized knowledge," their appeal to introspection and "consciousness-raising" in their pursuit of truth, their belief in superhuman secret cabals, their missionary devotion to save others from ignorance, their communal sense of being an enlightened brotherhood, and their existential quest to solve the problem of evil. Another important feature of conspiracy theories is their tendency to mythologize the past to justify their moral outrage and esoteric worldview, and to scapegoat their perceived enemies.
The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the role of power and powerlessness (political, moral, and epistemological) in the creation of conspiracist "religiosities". It will draw on the concepts presented by Michael Barkun ("improvisational millennialism" and "stigmatized knowledge"), Robert Robins and Jerrold Post ("political paranoia"), Daniel Shaw ("traumatizing narcissism"), and René Girard ("scapegoating" and "mimetic violence") to discuss the similarities between conspiracism and cultish religiosity, the nature and elements of paranoid epistemology, and the empowering nature of conspiracism for those who feel powerless. It will draw examples from several popular conspiracist communities, including JFK "buffs," 9/11 Truthers, Ufologists, Vaccine deniers, and QAnon "patriots," as well as cultish groups such as The Peoples Temple (aka Jonestown), Scientology, the Manson Family, Heaven's Gate, and others.
The High Cabal and the Lynch Mob: Exploring Conspiracism Through René Girard’s Scapegoating Theory - Michel Jacques Gagné
-
Disclaimer: This session was delivered for the 2023 ICSA Conference. The speaker of this session does not speak on behalf of ICSA as an organization.
-
Abstract: Belief in conspiracy theories has been described as a type of alternative (or post-modern) religious expression and association (Barkun, 2011; Robertson and Dyrendal, 2019). Examples include conspiracists' self-perception as victims of "official" dogmas and as keepers of "stigmatized knowledge," their appeal to introspection and "consciousness-raising" in their pursuit of truth, their belief in superhuman secret cabals, their missionary devotion to save others from ignorance, their communal sense of being an enlightened brotherhood, and their existential quest to solve the problem of evil. Another important feature of conspiracy theories is their tendency to mythologize the past to justify their moral outrage and esoteric worldview, and to scapegoat their perceived enemies.
The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the role of power and powerlessness (political, moral, and epistemological) in the creation of conspiracist "religiosities". It will draw on the concepts presented by Michael Barkun ("improvisational millennialism" and "stigmatized knowledge"), Robert Robins and Jerrold Post ("political paranoia"), Daniel Shaw ("traumatizing narcissism"), and René Girard ("scapegoating" and "mimetic violence") to discuss the similarities between conspiracism and cultish religiosity, the nature and elements of paranoid epistemology, and the empowering nature of conspiracism for those who feel powerless. It will draw examples from several popular conspiracist communities, including JFK "buffs," 9/11 Truthers, Ufologists, Vaccine deniers, and QAnon "patriots," as well as cultish groups such as The Peoples Temple (aka Jonestown), Scientology, the Manson Family, Heaven's Gate, and others.
