Science Festival: What is a conspiracy theory?

Conspiracy theories can be fonud almost everywhere in our connected everyday lives. Some of them fascinate us. Others bring us closer together – or divide us. Some can even frighten us.

But how can we define what conspiracy theories really are? How can we learn to recognise them? Why do certain ideas take hold, and why do they affect us so much?

During this panel discussion, four researchers from the humanities and social sciences get together to deepen our understanding of conspiracy theories as social and cultural phenomenon. 

Participants

• Jesper Strömbäck, Professor of Journalism and Political Communication, Department of Journalism, Media and Communication, University of Gothenburg
• Tobias Pontara, Professor of Musicology, Department of Cultural Studies, University of Gothenburg
• Caroline Reinhammar, PhD student in Ethnology, Department of Cultural Studies, University of Gothenburg
• Andreas Önnerfors, Professor of Intellectual History, Fojo Media Institute, Linnaeus University

Moderator: Stefan Jensen, Lecturer in Photography, HDK-Valand, University of Gothenburg