Conspiracy theories, fake news and alternative facts are increasingly a part of our political dialogue and social landscape. Driven by the speed and reach of social media, conspiracy theories are thriving and amassing global audiences and advocates. Does this present a threat to our democracies, and how do we begin to counter the deliberate spread of misinformation?

In their acclaimed book, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy, Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum discuss the difference between ‘classic conspiracism,’ which involves the meticulous collection of facts to create a persuasive narrative, and the new conspiracism which has come to punctuate political and social dialogue, and which relies instead upon allegations and insinuations, spreads through repetition, and is aided by online platforms.

Join the authors alongside an expert panel for this timely and engaging discussion about the rise of new conspiracism, its threat to democracy and how it must be addressed.

This event will be co-hosted by Monash University’s Better Governance and Policy and Deakin University’s Polis research network.

AUTHORS

Russell Muirhead is the Robert Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics at Dartmouth College and is Chair of the Department of Government. Professor Muirhead is an expert on democratic processes, partisanship and democratic citizenship. Russell is the co-author of A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy (2019), and the author of The Promise of Party in a Polarized Age (2014).

Nancy L. Rosenblum is the Harvard University Senator Joseph Clark Professor of Ethics in Politics and Government emerita. Professor Rosenblum’s field of research is historical and contemporary political thought, and she is an expert on modern political thought and constitutional law. Nancy is the co-author of A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy (2019), and the author of Good Neighbors: The Democracy of Everyday Life in America (2016).

PANEL

Dr Matteo Bonotti, Monash University
Prof Katharine Gelber, University of Queensland
Dr Lise Esther Herman, University of Exeter
Prof Lisa Hill, University of Adelaide
Dr Benjamin Moffitt, Australian Catholic University
Dr Zim Nwokora, Deakin University
Prof Mark Warren, University of British Columbia
Prof Michael Mintrom, Monash University

CHAIR

Dr Chiara De Lazzari, Monash University
Prof Benjamin Isakhan, Deakin University