Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 170
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9
978-1-5381-2119-1 • Hardback • January 2020 • $65.00 • (£50.00)
978-1-5381-2120-7 • Paperback • January 2020 • $31.00 • (£25.00)
978-1-5381-2121-4 • eBook • January 2020 • $29.00 • (£19.99)
Joseph E. Uscinski is associate professor of political science at University of Miami. He is editor of
Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them (forthcoming), coauthor of American Conspiracy Theories (2014) and author of The People’s News: Media, Politics, and the Demands of Capitalism (2014). He received his bachelor’s degree from Plymouth State University, his Master’s from University of New Hampshire, and his Doctorate from University of Arizona. He teaches courses on American politics, public opinion, media, and conspiracy theories. His research has appeared in Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly, and Critical Review among other scholarly outlets. His essays have appeared in the Washington Post, Politico, Los Angeles Times, Reason Magazine, Eurozine, and Newsweek among other prominent outlets. He has been interviewed by hundreds of national and international media outlets.
Preface
About the Author
Chapter 1 Why Study Conspiracy Theories?
Chapter 2 What is a Conspiracy Theory?
Chapter 3 The Popularity of Conspiracy and Anomalous Beliefs
Chapter 4 The Psychology and Sociology of Conspiracy Theories
Chapter 5 The Politics of Conspiracy Theories
Chapter 6 President Trump, the Internet, Conspiracy, and Conspiracy Theory
Index
Uscinski (Univ. of Miami) is a prolific scholar of conspiracy theory studies, a subfield that in recent years has blossomed in several disciplines. In this concise introduction to the academic approaches to this subject, the author aims to “introduce students to the latest research on conspiracy theories,” including polling numbers and research conducted by scholars in the two fields most invested in probing conspiracy theories: psychology and sociology. Scholarship on this topic in philosophy, history, and political science is also referenced. Other chapters explain the need to study conspiracy theories, defining the concept and the politics of these theories. Each chapter ends with a bibliography and list of key terms, and endnotes close the text. Since Uscinski focuses on research, readers will need to look elsewhere for details about the actual conspiracies (e.g., the Tuskegee syphilis experiment), conspiracy theories (e.g., the moon landing hoax, QAnon), and conspiracy theory tropes (e.g., false flags, sex-trafficking rings) mentioned throughout. Fortunately, sources for the book run from the most notable scholars to the most implausible conspiracists, and so the bibliography serves as a rich resource for newcomers to the topic. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels.
— Choice Reviews
The first accessible and comprehensive guide to the research on conspiracy theories in contemporary society.— Martin Orr, Boise State University
Intriguing. Balanced and insightful.— Lee Basham, South Texas College/University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley
A good introduction to the current state of knowledge on who believes conspiracy theories and why.— Joanne Miller, University of Minnesota
Joe Uscinski knows the field better than anyone.— Kathryn Olmsted, Professor of History, University of California, Davis