Paper short abstract:

The presentation focuses on the specific narratives that those inclined to conspirituality (conspiracies in the context of alternative spirituality) construct or take over from others to identify and explain the anticipated threats or, conversely, to prevent them.

Paper long abstract:

Conspirituality is a relatively new term for an intertwining of conspiratorial and supernatural explanations, specifically in the context of alternative spirituality. Although a diverse phenomenon, those engaged in this sphere combine political-spiritual philosophies in which 1) the world is ruled by power groups that manipulate "ordinary" people, 2) "humanity is undergoing a paradigm shift in consciousness" (Ward & Voas, 2011). The presentation will examine how supernatural and conspiratory beliefs can complement each other in creating a personal and group worldview or philosophy of life. It is based on ongoing anthropological research in Slovakia (Jerotijević & Hagovská 2020, 2019). The periods of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current war in Ukraine or the previous migration crisis have provided various alternative, often conspiratorial, explanations of reality that have mainly responded to people's actual or perceived threats. The perception of threat is one of the topics that anthropology has been dealing with for a long time (e.g., Douglas, 1992). Information indicating a threat, whether acute or potential, attracts more attention and spreads better in the population (Boyer & Parren, 2015; Fessler et al., 2014). The feeling of threat and lack of control can lead to an increased need to understand what is happening (Paloutzian 2005). Research has repeatedly shown that feelings of danger increase religiosity (e.g., Henrich et al., 2019) and belief in conspiracy theories (van Prooijen, 2020; Uscinski, Parent & Torens, 2011). Both types of beliefs namely activate interpretive frameworks that bring a sense of understanding and control over the situation.