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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 973 EAN: 9780816632435 ISBN: 081663243X Label: University of Minnesota Press Manufacturer: University of Minnesota Press Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 282 Publication Date: 2001-04 Publisher: University of Minnesota Press Studio: University of Minnesota Press Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display Editorial Review: Product Description: JFK, Karl Marx, the Pope, Aristotle Onassis, Queen Elizabeth II, Howard Hughes, Fox Mulder, Bill Clinton-all have been linked to vastly complicated global (or even galactic) intrigues. In this enlightening tour of conspiracy theories, Mark Fenster guides readers through this shadowy world and analyzes its complex role in American culture and politics. Fenster argues that conspiracy theories are a form of popular political interpretation and contends that understanding how they circulate through mass culture helps us better understand our society as a whole. To that end, he discusses Richard Hofstadter's The Paranoid Style in American Politics, the militia movement, The X-Files, popular Christian apocalyptic thought, and such artifacts of suspicion as The Turner Diaries, the Illuminatus! trilogy, and the novels of Richard Condon. Fenster analyzes the "conspiracy community" of radio shows, magazine and book publishers, Internet resources, and role-playing games that promote these theories. In this world, the very denial of a conspiracy's existence becomes proof that it exists, and the truth is always "out there." He believes conspiracy theory has become a thrill for a bored subculture, one characterized by its members' reinterpretation of "accepted" history, their deep cynicism about contemporary politics, and their longing for a utopian future. Fenster's progressive critique of conspiracy theories both recognizes the secrecy and inequities of power in contemporary politics and economics and works toward effective political engagement. Probing conspiracy theory's tendencies toward scapegoating, racism, and fascism, as well as Hofstadter's centrist acceptance of a postwar American "consensus," he advocates what conspiracy theory wants but cannot articulate: a more inclusive, engaging political culture. Mark Fenster received his Ph.D. in communication from the University of Illinois and his law degree from Yale University. He currently lives in Denver. Excerpt: "Ultimately, I want to propose that the Utopian 'plot' to be uncovered is not composed of the exclusivity and secrets of conspiracy, but of the open-ended political struggle for equality, solidarity, and a transparent, participatory democracy that conspiracy theory might assume but can hardly imagine and cannot attain." Book Description: 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 Code to 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. Average Rating:
 Rating: - Good Take on Enduring IssueI got this book with several other similar books, doing some research for one of my clients. For me, it's the best overview of conspiracy theories and why they're so compelling to people. The psychological question of why these stories are so meaningful to some people is the most interesting question. Rating: - Excellent conspiracy genreThis book covers most of the conspiracy theories popular in the United States. It is a good contributing text to political science courses, and a great volume for those who wish answers about their government's activities. Don't look for answers in this book; it is a book that evokes questions only the reader can answer. Rating: - The Why behind conspiracy theories and buying this book...This book challenges and takes the reader to the next level by asking WHY! Why do conspiracy theories exist in American society and culture? The answers are set in an eloquent academic prose but does tend to "quote" "incessantly" in a "few" chapters which becomes "really" really "annoying." However the author delivers an expectant high level of proficiency in subsequent chapters. Buy this book if (1) you appreciate academic prose, (2) are fascinated in the WHY theories behind ... Read More Rating:  - Epitome of Academic DrynessI read a lot, and more than a few books by academics. But even though I was keenly interested in the subject of this book, and what Fenster would have to say about it, I found the reading so utterly dry and boring that I couldn't get even a third of the way through the book. I put it down and came back to it several times, trying to bring a freshness to it. But each time I was drugged to catatonia within a few pages. I gave up trying to read it straight through, and tried skimming and jumping around to ... Read More Rating: - The truth is out there...I recall a quote from Robert Anton Wilson who said, "Anyone in the United States who isn't paranoid must be crazy." I always thought that was an amusing quote, and it should've shown up in this book, probably! Fenster explores the prevalence of conspiracy theory in American culture in this very academic book. While his writing style is good, I warn you that this book seems aimed at academics, and not your garden-variety conspiracy buffs. He begins with exploring Richard Hofstadter's work ... Read More 
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