Conspiracy Theories

Secrecy and Power in American Culture

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science
Cover of the book Conspiracy Theories by Mark Fenster, University of Minnesota Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mark Fenster ISBN: 9781452914107
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press Publication: July 29, 2008
Imprint: Univ Of Minnesota Press Language: English
Author: Mark Fenster
ISBN: 9781452914107
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
Publication: July 29, 2008
Imprint: Univ Of Minnesota Press
Language: English

 JFK, Karl Marx, the Pope, Aristotle Onassis, Howard Hughes, Fox Mulder, Bill Clinton, both George Bushes—all have been linked to vastly complicated global (or even galactic) intrigues. Two years after Mark Fenster first published Conspiracy Theories, the attacks of 9/11 stirred the imaginations of a new generation of believers. Before the black box from United 93 had even been found, there were theories put forth from the implausible to the offensive and outrageous. 

In this new edition of the landmark work, and the first in-depth look at the conspiracy communities that formed to debunk the 9/11 Commission Report, Fenster shows that conspiracy theories play an important role in U.S. democracy. Examining how and why they circulate through mass culture, he contends, helps us better understand society as a whole. Ranging from The Da Vinci Codeto the intellectual history of Richard Hofstadter, he argues that dismissing conspiracy theories as pathological or marginal flattens contemporary politics and culture because they are—contrary to popular portrayal—an intense articulation of populism and, at their essence, are strident calls for a better, more transparent government. Fenster has demonstrated once again that the people who claim someone’s after us are, at least, worth hearing.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

 JFK, Karl Marx, the Pope, Aristotle Onassis, Howard Hughes, Fox Mulder, Bill Clinton, both George Bushes—all have been linked to vastly complicated global (or even galactic) intrigues. Two years after Mark Fenster first published Conspiracy Theories, the attacks of 9/11 stirred the imaginations of a new generation of believers. Before the black box from United 93 had even been found, there were theories put forth from the implausible to the offensive and outrageous. 

In this new edition of the landmark work, and the first in-depth look at the conspiracy communities that formed to debunk the 9/11 Commission Report, Fenster shows that conspiracy theories play an important role in U.S. democracy. Examining how and why they circulate through mass culture, he contends, helps us better understand society as a whole. Ranging from The Da Vinci Codeto the intellectual history of Richard Hofstadter, he argues that dismissing conspiracy theories as pathological or marginal flattens contemporary politics and culture because they are—contrary to popular portrayal—an intense articulation of populism and, at their essence, are strident calls for a better, more transparent government. Fenster has demonstrated once again that the people who claim someone’s after us are, at least, worth hearing.

More books from University of Minnesota Press

Cover of the book Antebellum at Sea by Mark Fenster
Cover of the book Global Bollywood by Mark Fenster
Cover of the book The Politics of Bitcoin by Mark Fenster
Cover of the book White Birch, Red Hawthorn by Mark Fenster
Cover of the book Gold Experience by Mark Fenster
Cover of the book The Nearness of Others by Mark Fenster
Cover of the book Shopping Our Way to Safety by Mark Fenster
Cover of the book Dreaming in Dark Times by Mark Fenster
Cover of the book Landscape of Discontent by Mark Fenster
Cover of the book Mechademia 6 by Mark Fenster
Cover of the book Digital Art and Meaning by Mark Fenster
Cover of the book A Short History of Indians in Canada by Mark Fenster
Cover of the book Turn Here Sweet Corn by Mark Fenster
Cover of the book The Anime Ecology by Mark Fenster
Cover of the book Code and Clay, Data and Dirt by Mark Fenster
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy