The HIDDEN HISTORY of CONSPIRACY THEORY

Why do conspiracy theories refuse to go away?

From arguments over who really killed JFK to claims of secret cabals controlling the world, from Pizzagate and QAnon to chemtrails and the belief that the Earth is flat, conspiracy theories continue to fascinate, provoke and divide us – even in an age when evidence is supposedly only a click away. Why do these stories have such a powerful hold on the public imagination? And why, once they take hold, can they be so difficult to dislodge?

Andrew McKenzie-McHarg takes us behind the conspiracy theory to ask where these ideas come from, how they evolve and what gives them their extraordinary staying power. What might Machiavelli, the French Revolution, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the Nuremberg Trials and QAnon have in common? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

Tracing the history of conspiracy thinking across centuries, McKenzie-McHarg reveals how familiar conspiratorial ideas are repeatedly reinvented for new times and new political purposes. He explores the people and movements who have used them, the anxieties they tap into, and the political and cultural conditions that allow them to flourish.

Join Andrew McKenzie-McHarg for a fascinating and timely exploration of one of the most persistent features of modern political culture — and discover why, whatever the evidence, the conspiracy never quite ends.

Andrew will be ‘In Conversation’ with journalist Rafael Behr.

This event takes place downstairs in the Tusk Room, The Walrus Pub, Brighton. Unfortunately there is no wheelchair access at this venue.

Event venue & nearby stays

The Walrus, 10 Ship Street, Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom

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