Covid Conspiracy Theories in Global Perspective

Covid Conspiracy Theories in Global Perspective examines how conspiracy theories and related forms of misinformation and disinformation about the Covid-19 pandemic have circulated widely around the world.Covid conspiracy theories have attracted considerable attention from researchers, journalists, and politicians, not least because conspiracy beliefs have the potential to negatively affect adherence to public health measures. While most of this focus has been on the United States and Western Europe, this collection provides a unique global perspective on the emergence and development of conspiracy theories through a series of case studies. The chapters have been commissioned by recognized experts on area studies and conspiracy theories.The chapters present case studies on how Covid conspiracism has played out (some focused on a single country, others on regions), using a range of methods from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, including history, politics, sociology, anthropology, and psychology. Collectively, the authors reveal that, although there are many narratives that have spread virally, they have been adapted for different uses and take on different meanings in local contexts.This volume makes an important contribution to the rapidly expanding field of academic conspiracy theory studies, as well as being of interest to those working in the media, regulatory agencies, and civil society organizations, who seek to better understand the problem of how and why conspiracy theories spread. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Introduction Introduction: Covid-19 Conspiracy Theories in Global Perspective Michael Butter and Peter Knight Section 1: General Perspectives 1. The Psychology of Pandemic Conspiracy Theories Roland Imhoff 2. Leak or Leap? Evidence and Cognition Surrounding the Origins of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus Stephan Lewandowsky, Peter H. Jacobs and Stuart Neil Section 2: Asia 3. Covid Origins, Nationalism and Diasporic Heterogeneity: China, Chineseness and Covid-19 Carwyn Morris, Andy Hanlun Li and Lotus Ruan 4. Dis-Spiracy Theory: Why Corona Rhymes with Corruption in Indonesia Nils Bubandt 5. Covid-19, Conspiracy Narratives, and the Arab State Johannes Sauerland 6. Conspiracy Theories about the Covid-19 Pandemic in Turkey Türkay Salim Nefes Section 3: Africa 7. Covid-19 Related Rumors and Conspiracy Theories: A Case Study from Cameroon Martina Drescher 8. "Complòóót?": Theorizing about Covid-19 Conspiracies in Côte d’Ivoire Oumarou Boukari and Joschka Philipps 9. A Disease of the Rich and a Disease of the Poor: Comparing Rumors about the Coronavirus and Ebola in Guinea Joschka Philipps and Saïkou Oumar Sagnane 10. The Constitutional Crisis and the Coronavirus: Conspiracies and Deep Politics during South Africa’s Pandemic Nicholas Abrams and Mongezi Bolofo 11. Africa Out of the Shadows: Authoritarian Anti-Imperialism, Transnational Pentecostalism, and Covid-19 "Conspiracy Theories" Laura Meek 12. "The Truth Is Not Known": Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy as a Failure of Biomedicine’s Moral Legitimacy in Zambia Justin Lee Haruyama Section 4: Europe 13. Covid-19-related Conspiracy Theories in the Baltic States Mari-Liis Madisson and Andreas Ventsel 14. Covid-19 Conspiracy Theories in France Julien Giry 15. Covid Conspiracy Theories in Germany, Austria and Switzerland Michael Butter 16. Conspiracy Entrepreneurs, Fringe Movements, and the Pervasive Style of Conspiracy during the Coronavirus Pandemic: The Case of Hungary Lili Turza 17. Italian Uprising from Covid Skepticism to Societal Polarization Cecilia Vergnano 18. The Proliferation of Alternative Media: How Corona Conspiracy Theories in the Netherlands Fostered New Social Movements Jaron Harambam 19. Covid, Conspiracy Theories and the Nordic Countries Asbjørn Dyrendal 20. The Usual Suspects? Conspiracy Theories and the Covid-19 Pandemic in Poland Olivia Rachwol 21. A (Cold) War for Vaccines: Retro-Conspiracism in Kremlin-Aligned Russian Discourse on Sputnik V Boris Noordenbos 22. A Communist Coup by Lockdown: Covid Conspiracy Theories in Spain Alejandro Romero-Reche Section 5: North America 23. Anti-Colonialism Meets Anti-Vax Suspicion: The Case of Guadeloupe Nicole Simek 24. A Perfect Storm: Covid-19 Conspiracy Theories in the United States Clare Birchall and Peter Knight Section 6: South America 25. Vulnerability and Conspiracy Theories: Latin America in the Time of Covid-19 Luis Roniger and Leonardo Senkman 26. "The Communavirus Is Here": Anti-Communist Conspiracy Theories in Brazil’s Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic Katerina Hatzikidi Section 7: Oceania 27. Covid-19 in Aotearoa New Zealand: The Darker Side of Paradise Matthew R. X. Dentith

Michael Butter is Professor of American Studies at the University of Tübingen, Germany. He also directs the ERC-funded project "Populism and Conspiracy Theory." He is the author of The Nature of Conspiracy Theories (2020) and coeditor of the Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories (2020). Peter Knight is Professor of American Studies at the University of Manchester, UK. His research is on conspiracy theories and the economic humanities. He is the author of Conspiracy Culture, The Kennedy Assassination, and Reading the Market and is co-author of Invested and Conspiracy Theories in the Time of Covid-19 . He is coeditor of the Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories.