Paper Short Abstract:

This paper imagines a future in which the apocalyptic prophecies of a group of anti-COVID-19 vaccine individuals come true and uses this dystopian scenario to critically reflect on the present it embodies and the cultural anxieties it reveals.

Paper Abstract:

Conspiracy theories are cultural phenomena that interpret events and social conditions as the result of hidden, malevolent forces. They often challenge mainstream narratives. Rooted in imaginative connections and causal constructions, conspiracy theories project dystopian and apocalyptic futures. Far from being passive consumers, conspiracy theorists often embody these visions, reshaping their lifestyles to fit alternative worldviews.

Based on ethnographic fieldwork within an anti-COVID-19 vaccine movement in Italy, this paper explores the apocalyptic imaginaries of its participants and speculates on what might happen if their prophecies were to be realised. By imagining a dystopian future shaped by these beliefs, the study reflects on how such projections illuminate anxieties about power, control and societal collapse in the present. Through an imaginative yet critical engagement with these narratives - despite their political implications and ethnocentric biases - the study seeks to illuminate the cultural anxieties, emotional investments and societal tensions that underpin conspiracy theories in contemporary contexts.