Paper short abstract:

In my paper I'd like to discuss the cultural function of the ostensible dichotomy "common people-elite" used in contemporary conspiracy narrations on an empirical basis.

Paper long abstract:

What has long been the key concept of early anthropological research - the "common people" - seems to be one of the most striking metaphors used by recent populist protagonists. Especially in narrations about so-called "conspiracies from above" (see Butter 2018, 31 f.), that often try to unmask the government as the root of all evil invading "our" everyday life, the binary figure of "us and them" is almost pervasive. In my paper I'd like to discuss the cultural function of this ostensible dichotomy by using empirical case examples. It might be obvious that the people who force a separation between "common people" and some elite, who try to mobilize solidarity among the (supposed) oppressed, simply want to recruit others for abstruse or even antidemocratic agendas. From an anthropological point of view we should take a closer look at the different kinds of solidarity (or better: semantics of solidarity) evoked in the field to gain a deeper understanding of a - in part - worrying social phenomenon of our times.

Butter, Michael (2018). "Nichts ist, wie es scheint". Über Verschwörungstheorien. Berlin.