Conspiracy Theories

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-viii

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Jovan Byford

   Pages 1-19

3. Towards a Definition of Conspiracy Theories

   • Jovan Byford

   Pages 20-37

4. Conspiracy Theories and Their Vicissitudes

   • Jovan Byford

   Pages 38-70

5. The Anatomy of the Conspiracy Theory

   • Jovan Byford

   Pages 71-94

6. Conspiracy Theory and Antisemitism

   • Jovan Byford

   Pages 95-119

7. Psychology and Conspiracy Theory

   • Jovan Byford

   Pages 120-143

8. Conclusion

   • Jovan Byford

   Pages 144-156

9. Back Matter

   Pages 157-179

   PDF

Through a series of specific questions that cut to the core of conspiracism as a global social and cultural phenomenon this book deconstructs the logic and rhetoric of conspiracy theories and analyses the broader social and psychological factors that contribute to their persistence in modern society.

• anatomy
• antisemitism
• Irish Republican Army (IRA)
• logic
• psychology
• rhetoric

"Jovan Byford's account as to why conspiracy theories are persistent, proliferating and popular offers a welcome, pertinent and well-constructed survey. [It is a] clear, accessible, illustrated, indexed and erudite text " - Equinox: Journal for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism, Vol 3, No 1 (2012), (http://www.equinoxpub.com/journals/index.php/JRFF/article/view/15294/pdf)

"In this book, Jovan Byford has managed to pull off a neat little trick. He has produced a book that not only provides an excellent introduction to the psychology of belief in conspiracy theories for the beginner but also provides food for thought for those already working in the area." - Chris French, Goldsmiths, UK

"In this book Jovan Byford provides a clear, concise and compelling guide to conspiracy theories. He explains where they come from, why people believe in them, and what the political consequences are. Given the vast increase in talk of conspiracy in the age of the internet,there is a real need for an accessible yet critical introduction to the topic, and this book provides it." Peter Knight, University of Manchester, UK

JOVAN BYFORD is Lecturer in Psychology at the Open University, UK. He is the author of Denial and Repression of Antisemitism: Post-Communist Remembrance of the Serbian Bishop Nikolaj Velimirovi? (2008) and Conspiracy Theory: Serbia v. the New World Order (2006, in Serbian).

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