The Political Hazards of Populist Conspiracy Theories

Authors

  • Levon Babajanyan Yerevan State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46991/BYSU:D/2022.13.1.061

Keywords:

ideology, populism, conspiracy, conspiracy theory, populist conspiracy theory, political hazard, extremism, authoritarianism, democracy

Abstract

The article discusses the political hazards of the populist conspiracy theories, which are simultaneously widely spread in both Western and Armenian political discourses in the last century. In the context of ideological analysis of populism and conspiracy theories the common ideological and ideational components have been summarized, which determine the ideological content of populist conspiracy theories. The
article identifies the general political hazards of the populist conspiracy theories for the societies with democratic political organization: discrimination of the people on the basis of moral contradiction “good people” - “evil elite”, manifestation of extremism, denial of the principles underlying democratic institutions - trust and pluralism, antiscience, a tendency to authoritarianism.

Author Biography

Levon Babajanyan, Yerevan State University

PhD in Philosophy, Assistant at the Chair of Social Philosophy and Ethics

References

Bararanonline.com, https://bararanonline.com/դավադրություն, 09․06․2021:

Bergmann E., Conspiracy & Populism, The Politics of Misinformation, Palgrave Macmillan, 2018.

Cassam Q., Conspiracy theories, Polity Press, Cambridge, 2019.

Dalgaard-Nielsen A., Violent radicalization in Europe: what we know and what we do not know, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 33(9), 2010.

Eatwell R., Populism and Fascism, The Oxford handbook of populism, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2017.

Fedor J., Chekists Look Back on the Cold War: The Polemical Literature // Intelligence in the Cold War: What Difference Did it Make?, Herman M., Hughes G., Routledge, 2013, pp. 88-109.

Fenster M., Conspiracy theories: secrecy and power in American culture, MN: University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2008.

Freeden M., Ideology: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2003.

Giry J., and Gürpınar D., Functions and uses of conspiracy theories in authoritarian regimes, // Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories. NY, Taylor & Francis group, 2020.

Greenberg J., and Jonas E., Psychological motives and political orientation – The left, the right, and the rigid: Comment on Jost et al. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 2003, pp. 376–382.

Hitchcock D., Critical Thinking, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Edward N. Zalta (ed.), https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/critical-thinking/, 23.06.2021.

Jan-Willem van Prooijen, Andre´ P. M. Krouwel, and Thomas V. Pollet, Political Extremism Predicts Belief in Conspiracy Theories, Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2015.

Jan-Willem van Prooijen, Populism as political mentality underlying conspiracy theories // Belief systems and the perception of reality, Rutjens B. T., Brandt M. J., Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, NY, 2019.

Jolley D., Mari S., and Karen M. Douglas, Consequences of conspiracy theories // Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories, Taylor & Francis group, NY, 2020.

Mudde C․, The populist zeitgeist, Government and Opposition, 39 (3), 2004.

Panchenko A․, The Dulles Plan for Russia: Conspiracy Theories and Moral Panics in Post-Soviet Societies // Deutschmann P., Herlth J., Woldan A., Truth and Fiction, Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, 2020.

Swami V., and Furnham A., Political paranoia and conspiracy theories // J.-P. Prooijen, P. A. M. van Lange, Power politics, and paranoia: Why people are suspicious of their leaders, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014, pp. 218-236.

Taggart P., Populism and “unpolitics” // Populism and the Crisis of Democracy, G. Fitzi, J. Mackert and B. S. Turner, vol. 1, Abingdon: Routledge, 2019.

Weems S. A., Armenia: secrets of a Christian terrorist state. The Armenian Great deception series, V. 1. Dallas: St. John Press, 2002.

Բաբաջանյան Լ., Պոպուլիզմի և ցինիզմի՝ որպես «նեղ» գաղափարախոսությունների սահմանումների համեմատական վերլուծություն, «Բանբեր Երևանի համալսարանի. Փիլիսոփայություն, Հոգեբանություն», 2020, № 2 (32), էջ 31-44։

Մյուլլեր Յ․-Վ., Ի՞նչ է պոպուլիզմը, Newmag, Եր․, 2019։

Published

2022-04-19

How to Cite

Babajanyan, Levon. 2022. “The Political Hazards of Populist Conspiracy Theories”. Bulletin of Yerevan University D: International Relations and Political Sciences 13 (1 (37):61-73. https://doi.org/10.46991/BYSU:D/2022.13.1.061.

Issue

Section

Political science