In person icon Conspiracy Theories and Political Violence – Exploring New Frontiers in Extremism Research

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated the evolving challenges posed by conspiracy theories to global security and liberal democracies. These narratives increasingly act as catalysts for political violence, defying traditional ideological categorizations and producing hybrid threats that are difficult to conceptualize within existing frameworks of extremism research. Amplified by social media, radical online milieus foster the convergence of diverse ideological currents, creating novel and growing risks. Transnational security services and terrorism studies continue to grapple with these dynamics, underscoring an urgent need for interdisciplinary approaches to address this gap. This panel investigates the intersections of conspiracy theories, alternative worldviews, and their connections to violence. Combining the study of virtual counterpublics and public perception, we explore how these belief systems construct reality, reshape social belonging, and foster ideological solidarity, creating pathways to cognitive and behavioral radicalization. Beyond viewing conspiratorial narratives as mere explanations for perceived grievances or societal issues, we argue they function as ontological blueprints—reconfiguring individual and collective identities, aligning them against perceived existential threats, and establishing preconditions for action. Through this lens, the panel critically examines the mechanisms by which these alternative ontologies emerge, proliferate, and intersect with violence across diverse online spaces. Contributions employ a range of theoretical and methodological approaches, including digital ethnography, network analysis, and comparative studies, to explore: How disinformation campaigns during high-stakes political events, such as elections and crises, exploit digital narratives to shape public perceptions and escalate political tensions, using data from the 2024 U.S. electoral cycle. The transnational dimensions of anti-government extremism, analyzing QAnon's role as a radicalizing and unifying meta-conspiracy theory across different actors of events like the storming of the Reichstag (2020), Capitol Hill (2021), and Brazilian Congress (2023) over Telegram. How the far-right on Gab strategically manipulate Japanese anime’s themes and narratives to advance ideological agendas and normalize extremist beliefs, revealing the ways cultural misappropriation fosters a collective political identity and legitimizes violent worldviews. By integrating interdisciplinary perspectives, this panel aims to generate new understandings of the intersection between conspiracy theories and political violence.

Title	Details
Adolescent Extremism: The Role of Cognitive Rigidity and the Quest for Significance	View Paper Details
From Berlin, to Washington, and Brasília? Assessing QAnon as a Bridging Narrative for Anti-Government Extremism	View Paper Details
Manipulating the Message: a Multi-Modal Analysis Investigating Far-Right Reappropriation of Japanese Anime	View Paper Details
Elections and Alternative Narratives	View Paper Details