Conspiracy? A Possible History of U.S. Politics and Culture

Catalog description

From QAnon supporters to vaccine skeptics to adherents to false charges of a “stolen” presidential election, conspiracy theories have captured the imaginations of millions of Americans. Whether blaming social media platforms, partisan disinformation campaigns, or a full-scale crisis of democracy itself, in attempting to explain the apparently expanding reach of a conspiratorial habit of mind, observers have mostly stressed its recent origins. But what if we approached the present situation as a reflection of lasting tensions long visible in the history of American political culture? This class considers the history of conspiracy theories as a symptom of longstanding anxieties about the state of American democracy and the vitality of the modern public sphere. From the Salem Witch Trials to the January 6th insurrection, we adopt conspiracy as a lens through which to explore the historical relationship between power and knowledge.