Bad History, Useless Prophecy: The "Paranoid Style" Revisited

Fake news has been cyclically surfacing in the history of journalism and public opinion. In the vein of some classic authors, the chapter identifies ideas that are surprisingly useful in the present media environment. It interweaves three historical threads relevant to today’s fake news: (1) the growth of canards in 19th-century Paris, observed by both Honoré de Balzac and Gérard de Nerval as the habitual invention of news when facts were not sufficiently attractive for readers; (2) the diffusion of fausses nouvelles during the Great War, described by Marc Bloch and propelled by the tendency, in times of crisis, to search for oracles more than information proper; (3) the propensity, suggested by Richard Hofstadter, to spread conspiracy theories, notably in the development of McCarthyism.

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Deja-vu with American Paranoid Style in the Korean Gwanghwamun Lamp Demonstration

The Korean Journal of American History ◽

10.37732/kjah.2017.45.101 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

pp. 101-129

Author(s):

Hong-Seuk Yang

Keyword(s):

Deja Vu ◽

Déjà Vu ◽

Paranoid Style

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The Slave Power Conspiracy and the Paranoid Style

Journal of American History ◽

10.2307/1918186 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 57 (2) ◽

pp. 428

Author(s):

Bertram Wyatt-Brown ◽

David Brion Davis

Keyword(s):

Paranoid Style

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Conspiracy Theory: Truth Claim or Language Game?

Theory Culture & Society ◽

10.1177/0263276416657880 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 137-159 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Ole Bjerg ◽

Thomas Presskorn-Thygesen

Keyword(s):

War On Terror ◽

Legal Status ◽

Language Game ◽

Conspiracy Theory ◽

The Political ◽

Conspiracy Theories ◽

Truth Claim ◽

Contemporary Politics ◽

Political Effects ◽

Paranoid Style

The paper is a contribution to current debates about conspiracy theories within philosophy and cultural studies. Wittgenstein’s understanding of language is invoked to analyse the epistemological effects of designating particular questions and explanations as a ‘conspiracy theory’. It is demonstrated how such a designation relegates these questions and explanations beyond the realm of meaningful discourse. In addition, Agamben’s concept of sovereignty is applied to explore the political effects of using the concept of conspiracy theory. The exceptional epistemological status assigned to alleged conspiracy theories within our prevalent paradigms of knowledge and truth is compared to the exceptional legal status assigned to individuals accused of terrorism under the War on Terror. The paper concludes by discussing the relation between conspiracy theory and ‘the paranoid style’ in contemporary politics.

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