Message posted on 27/04/2019

CfP: What do we do about conspiracy theories?

                Dear colleagues,
<br>
<br>
<br>We hope you will find this CFP interesting. It is an interdisciplinary
<br>initiative and we think it might be of special interest for STS'ers.
<br>Circulate freely.
<br>
<br>
<br>Kind regards,
<br>
<br>
<br>Ela Drążkiewicz (Maynooth University, Ireland) and Jaron Harambam
<br>(University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>*CfP Special Issue and Research Workshop:*
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>*What do we do about conspiracy theories?*
<br>
<br>*The role of social sciences and humanities in debunking conspiracy
<br>theories*
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>Conspiracy theories have moved from the margins of public discourse towards
<br>the centers. Many people now use them to make sense of the changing world
<br>and its complexifying social structures (e.g. international financial
<br>systems, global bodies of governance), tragic events (e.g. terrorist
<br>attacks, man-made catastrophes, or natural disasters) or socio-political
<br>and economic issues (e.g. security, migration, resources distribution,
<br>health care). Importantly, this trend is visible across societies and
<br>cultures, transgressing traditional social divisions and classes.
<br>Representatives of political and social elites subscribe to some sort of
<br>conspiracy theory also deploy ‘alternative facts’ to their own political
<br>ends. In spite of earlier assertions that conspiratorial thinking is simply
<br>a symptom of paranoia, it becomes more and more clear that this assumption
<br>is hard to maintain: everybody can potentially engage with conspiracy
<br>theories in some way.
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>This widespread popularity of conspiracy theories has spurred much interest
<br>from the academic community. The debate has focused predominantly on
<br>analyzing this phenomenon and understanding how the distrust in officially
<br>sanctioned knowledge can be explained? At the same time there seems to be
<br>an assumed expectation that it is the responsibility of researchers to
<br>engage with conspiracy beliefs by debunking them. However, like everything
<br>that relates to conspiracy theories, even the subject of debunking is not
<br>straightforward. An answer to the question whether researchers should
<br>debunk conspiracy theories varies across disciplines and schools, and is
<br>closely related to specific ethical codes of conduct, research
<br>methodologies, and specific approaches to conspiracy theories. While
<br>scholars who study this cultural phenomenon from a non-normative and
<br>epistemologically neutral position might wish to refrain from debunking
<br>conspiracy theories, others who see conspiracy theories as the irrational,
<br>overly suspicious and even dangerous ideas of people who don’t quite
<br>understand what is “really” going on, might lean towards the debunking
<br>stand. Clearly, the question of how we, as scholars, should approach
<br>conspiracy theories appears a divisive element in the burgeoning field of
<br>conspiracy theory studies. That is why, with this special issue we want to
<br>open up the discussion *whether it is the responsibility of scholars to
<br>debunk conspiracy theories?*
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>Since (some of) these theories have real world consequences (growing
<br>distrust of mainstream media and politics, increasing societal polarization
<br>and hatred towards certain groups, decreasing trust in medicine and
<br>science), this is not a mere academic discussion. Indeed, the question of
<br>what to do with conspiracy theories, and how to engage with people who
<br>propagate them takes on much societal urgency. Can and should we, as
<br>scholars, stay “neutral” in these discussions, or do we have a
<br>responsibility to debunk conspiracy theories and to help diminish their
<br>popularity?
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>For this special issue, we invite scholars representing the variety of
<br>disciplines who have been working on conspiracy theories to share their
<br>perspective and experiences on this issue. How should we deal with
<br>conspiracy theories while conducting research, in our analysis, writing and
<br>teaching, but also in our public outreach initiatives? We aim to hear
<br>multiple perspectives from different disciplines and geographical locations
<br>in order to learn from each other and to start a productive substantial
<br>discussion on this highly contested topic. We welcome both theoretical
<br>pieces and more empirically grounded essays, but we invite authors to
<br>specifically consider following questions:
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>-       How is your approach to debunking shaped by your discipline?
<br>
<br>-       Does the topic of the conspiracy theory (e.g. 9/11, Big Pharma,
<br>aliens, flat earth etc.) that you are working on matter for the position
<br>you take?
<br>
<br>-       Does the (political, economic, social, historical, cultural)
<br>context in which conspiracy theories operate matter?
<br>
<br>-       If you argue that conspiracy theories should be debunked, how is
<br>this best done, and how should we deal with the people adhering to
<br>conspiracy theories?
<br>
<br>-       If you have a different stand, what strategies can you propose for
<br>engaging with conspiratorial thinking?
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>We intend to have this special issue published in the multidisciplinary
<br>Science, Technology and Human Values journal (
<br>https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/journal/science-technology-human-values#desc
<br>ription)
<br>who have already expressed interest in our proposal for the special issue,
<br>but can only guarantee when prospected contributions are out.
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>In order to facilitate the publication process and foster debate we
<br>organize a workshop which will bring contributors together to discuss and
<br>get feedback on their work. The workshop will take place at *Maynooth
<br>University, Ireland on June 28, 2019.* However, if you'd like to contribute
<br>in writing without coming to the workshop, that is possible too. We invite
<br>ALL interested people to submit a contribution (essay/empirical article)
<br>before the workshop. We will give authors opportunity to improve their work
<br>until July 14, after which we will do an internal review. The 8-10 best
<br>contributions will go into peer review through ST&HV, who gave us space for
<br>6-8 contributions depending on size. Participation in the workshop is thus
<br>NO guarantee to be published or even to go into peer-review.
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>Please submit the title of your paper together with an abstract by the 5th
<br>of May to Ela and Jaron, the organizers of this special issue:
<br>ela.drazkiewicz@mu.ie and j.harambam@uva.nl
<br>
<br>Please also include information about whether you are available to attend
<br>the workshop.
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>*The funding for this workshop has been kindly provided **by the Department
<br>of Anthropology, the Department of **Sociology, the Office of the Dean of
<br>Social Sciences, **Research Support Office as well as Social Sciences
<br>**Institute
<br>of Maynooth University*
<br>[image: image.png]
<br>
<br>Dr. Jaron Harambam
<br>Postdoctoral researcher at the Fair News Project
<br>Institute for Information Law (IViR) / University of Amsterdam
<br>Roeterseilandcampus, Building A, 5th Floor, Room A5-10
<br>Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam
<br>
<br>P.O. BOX: 15514, 1001 NA Amsterdam
<br>Tel: +31 20 525 2140
<br>https://amsterdam.academia.edu/JaronHarambam
<br>
<br>https://scholar.google.nl/citations?user=uz8o2i0AAAAJ&hl=en
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