In this master's thesis, we examine conspiracy theories and conspiracism and their relationship to contemporary social crises. The thesis focuses on the question of how conspiracy theories function as an interpretative framework for public events and how they influence the formation of political subjectivity of individuals during times of interconnected social, political, and ecological crises. Special emphasis will be placed on the ways in which the latter contribute to the context of postmodern uncertainty. Consequently, we will address the question of how this uncertainty relates to the appeal of conspiratorial narratives. In doing so, we will interpret conspiratorial thinking as merely a particular form of public opinion, which is subject to the same influences of conventional mass beliefs as other such forms. Thus, we will not focus on truth judgments about specific conspiracy theories, but rather on the effects they produce. We will distinguish between conspiracy theories, conspiracism, and theories about conspiracy theories. We will analyse their key characteristics with special emphasis on their narrative function. Additional emphasis will be placed on the concept of conspiracy panic as a tool for disqualification of certain forms of thinking by calling them conspiracist. The research will be based on an interdisciplinary approach that combines elements of political theory, psychology, and sociology.
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