Beyond belief: the social psychology of conspiracy theories and the study of ideology

Byford, Jovan (2014). Beyond belief: the social psychology of conspiracy theories and the study of ideology. In: Antaki, Charles and Condor, Susan eds. Rhetoric, Ideology and Social Psychology: Essays in Honour of Michael Billig. Explorations in Social Psychology. London: Routledge, pp. 83–94.

URL: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/97804158206...

Abstract

The chapter revisits Michael Billig’s writing on conspiracy theories, as featured in the book Fascists: A social psychological view of the National Front (1978) and a number of other works published in the 1980s. In spite of its originality and continuing relevance, Billig's writing on conspiracy theories is today surprisingly neglected in literature on the subject, especially that written by social psychologists. The chapter looks at conceptual, theoretical and methodological issues that have prevented social psychologists from engaging with Billig’s writing on conspiracy theories, and argues that, at a time when conspiracism is said to be on the rise, there is much to be gained from a return to this pioneering and original work.

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