Seminar on conspiracy theories in Eastern Europe on April 24

02.05.2019

Research seminar: Conspiracy Theories in Eastern Europe and Beyond

 

Graduate School of Culture Studies and Arts
April 24, 2019
Jakobi 2-114

This interdisciplinary seminar brings together the scholars working with topic of conspiracy theories. Concentrating primarily on conspiracy theories in Eastern Europe, we will investigate the most recent and popular conspiracy theories and observe how the socialist past and populism-infused present impact their emergence and dissemination. The papers delivered by scholars from Estonia, Finland, Romania, and Russia will flag the perspectives ethnology, folklore, semiotics, and history disciplines have on various conspiracy theories.
The seminar does not require prior registration.

 

Programme
10:00 Opening words
10:15 Corneliu Pintilescu (The Romanian Academy, Cluj-Napoca), Attila Kustán Magyari (Babeş-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca)
Soros conspiracy theories and the rise of populism in post-socialist Romania and Hungary
10:45 Mari-Liis Madisson, Andreas Ventsel (University of Tartu)
Attention-grabbing function of conspiracy theories
11:15 Anastasiya Astapova (University of Tartu)
In Pursuit of nationhood vis-à-vis Russia: the search for lost manuscripts in post-Soviet countries
11:45–12:30 Coffee break
12:30 Alexander Panchenko (European University in Saint-Petersburg, Russian Academy of Sciences)
“Conspirituality” in Russia: how and why late Soviet and post-Soviet New Age culture was related to conspiratorial thinking
13:00 Onoriu Colacel (University of Suceava)
Politics on Moldovan TV: conspiracy theories and disinformation
13:30 Toni Saarinen (University of Helsinki)
How New World Order narratives explain our world
14:00–14:15 Discussion and conclusion


Programme

The organizer: Anastasiya Astapova, anastasiya.astapova [ät] ut.ee.

 

The seminar is supported by the European Regional Development Fund (University of Tartu ASTRA Project PER ASPERA).