Abstract:

In the popular view conspiracy theories are pathologized as a prerogative of niche groups and extreme movements. They are usually associated with populism and blamed for political radicalisation, social polarisation, and erosion of democracy. But what happens when they are utilised not by extreme but more moderate movements, and effectively become a normalised and omnipresent part of politics? Reflecting on the most recent Polish parliamentary elections, in this talk I will consider the ways in which conflicts over truth are weaponised in politics. Moving through the conspiracy theory clutter, in this talk I argue that perhaps the whole idea of the post-truth should be replaced with the notion of Pan-Truth: a condition in which truth becomes the most important value, a notion subjected to constant investigations, debates and often conflicts. In the Pan-Truth era conspiracy theories are not an abnormality, but a norm, a continuation of politics by other means, a way through which democratic values and forms of governance are either contested or endorsed, questioned or consolidated. 

Bio:

Elżbieta Drążkiewicz, is a graduate of Cambridge Anthropology. At Ethnology Department of Lund University she is leading the ERC project CONSPIRATIONS investigating conflicts over conspiracy theories in Europe. She specializes in organisational and political anthropology. While her current focus is on conflicts over truth and actors spreading and countering conspiracy theories, her research also includes studies of global political economy. She is an author of Institutionalised Dreams: The Art of Managing Foreign Aid.