Call for Papers: CONNOR Inaugural Conference
"Conspiracy Theories and the Nordic Countries"
Lund university, Sweden May 23-24, 2024
For more information, see here
CONNOR – Nordic Network of Conspiracy Theory Research
Dive into the history and impact of conspiracy theories in the Nordics.
Our Nordic research network
CONNOR – the Nordic Network of Conspiracy Theory Research was established in 2023 and is dedicated to researching the history and impact of conspiracy theories on Nordic societies. It serves as a network of university-affiliated scholars in the Nordic countries working on conspiracy theories in and about the area or are pursuing studies into conspiracy theories being based at Nordic universities.
Our vision
Our vision is to unite researchers in the Nordic region who work on the history and impact of conspiracy theories either in the Nordics or being affiliated to universities in our region.
The image used to illustrate CONNOR is from Olaus Rudbeck the Elder (1630–1702) and his multivolume work Atlantica, in which Rudbeck claimed to discover that Sweden in fact was Atlantis, the ancient cradle of civilization. We see on this frontispiece how Rudbeck with a scalpel cuts through the outer layer of a globe to uncover the ‘real’ and deeper layer of the past, the Scandinavian peninsula as the ‘island of the gods’. His discovery is admired by philosophers and figures of antiquity, such as the philosophers Plato and Aristotle and historians Hesiod and Tacitus.
Rudbeck started off as a natural scientist, discovering the lymphatic system but devoted the last decades of his career to fanciful speculations about the history, language, and archaeology of Sweden we today would characterize as pseudoscientific, guided by random and exaggerated pattern recognition and the belief that everything was connected. Book historian Sten G Lindberg characterizes Atlantica in the following way: “the text is an ingenious absurdity with fantastic etymologies mixed with new ideas” (Lindberg,Swedish Books, 1968, 33).
CONNOR aims to explore such multilayered readings of the Nordics where conspiratorial imagination constructs interpretations of the past and present based upon the idea that there are hidden dimensions of meaning beyond or beneath the obvious surface of reality.
About CONNOR
Unlocking Nordic Conspiracies
Our project goals encompass analyzing the development and dissemination of conspiracy theories in the Nordic region, understanding their influence on public opinion, and promoting evidence-based research.
Founded in 2023, CONNOR aims to unravel the origins and socio-cultural ramifications of conspiracy theories, ultimately fostering a more informed and society in the Nordics developing deeper understanding and resilience towards toxic conspiracy narratives.
In 2020, a team of authors and initiators of CONNOR, published Conspiracy Theories and the Nordic Countries.
This was the first volume devoted to the topic.
Frontispiece from Cadet Gassicourt, Le Tombeau de Jacques Molai, Paris 1797, who alleged that a vast conspiracy of 'supernatural men' orchestrated the French revolution and through its networks also the assassination of Swedish king Gustav III in 1792.
Approach
Our Research Approach
We conduct thorough research at CONNOR to study the history and impact of conspiracy theories on Nordic societies.
We have made significant progress in the academic project at CONNOR, examining the influence of conspiracy theories on Nordic communities.
While working on the academic project at CONNOR, we have faced various challenges that have helped us gain valuable insights into the complexities of conspiracy theories.
Updates
Insights & Resources
CONNOR –
Call for Papers:
Inaugural Conference:Conspiracy Theories and the Nordic Countries
Project Materials
Access a wide range of materials related to the Academic Project investigating conspiracy theories in the Nordic region.
Explore Data
Delve into the comprehensive data collected by CONNOR network to gain valuable insights.
Our Team
Meet the Researchers
CONNOR - the Nordic Network of Conspiracy Theory Research was established in 2023 and is dedicated to researching the history and impact of conspiracy theories on Nordic societies.
Anastasiya Astapova
Tartu university, Estonia
Anastasiya Astapova studies conspiracy theories via ethnography. She is a co-editor of Conspiracy Theories in Eastern Europe: Tropes and Trends,a co-author of Conspiracy Theories and the Nordic Countries (both with Routledge), and an author of Humor and Rumor in the Post-Soviet Authoritarian State (Rowman and Littlefield, 2021).
See also here
Asbjørn Dyrendal
NTNU, Norway
Asbjørn Dyrendal is professor of Religious Studies at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He works on conspiracy culture and conspiracy psychology, often in relation to contemporary religion.
See also here
Hulda Thórisdóttir
University of Iceland
Hulda Þórisdóttir (e. Thórisdóttir) is a Professor in Political Science at the University of Iceland. With a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from New York University her research is in the interdisciplinary field of Political Psychology. Her research centers on political behavior and beliefs.
Ela Drazkiewicz
Lund university, Sweden
Elżbieta Drążkiewicz is an anthropologist leading the ERC project CONSPIRATIONS investigating conflicts over conspiracy theories in Europe. She specializes in organisational, political, and economic anthropology. Her research also includes studies of foreign aid and development management and public health governance. She is an author of Institutionalised Dreams: The Art of Managing Foreign Aid.
Annika Rabo
Stockholm university, Sweden
Annika Rabo is emeritus professor, Social Anthropology, Stockholm University
Kasper Grotle Rasmussen
Syddansk universitet, Danmark
Doom
Eirikur Bergmann
Bifröst university, Iceland
Eirikur Bergmann is a full Professor of Politics at Bifrost University in Iceland. Author of twelve academic books and numerous journal articles, he writes mainly on Nationalism, Populism and Conspiracy Theories. In 2020 Palgrave Macmillan published his book, Neo-Nationalism: The Rise of Natvisit Populism. Bergmann is also the author of three novels published in Icelandic.
Andreas Önnerfors
Linnaeus university, Sweden
Andreas Önnerfors is an intellectual historian interested in to explore the history of ideas of conspiracy and in particular their visual culture. He is co-editor of Europe: Continent of ConspiraciesConspiracy Theories in and about Europe (2021)
News & Resources
Newsroom
Expert Interviews
Hear from leading researchers and scholars discussing conspiracy theories in the Nordic context.
Image generated with AI-assistent "Copilot" (licence Linnaeus university, Sweden). Prompt: "Conspiracy Theories in the Nordic Area" based upon the frontispiece of Rudbeck's Atlantica.
Contact
Join Us Today!
CONNOR is open to university-affiliated researchers in the Nordic region working on conspiracy theories and who have a publishing record in the field. If you would like to join, please contact at least one of the members of the group of founders with an email stating affiliation, a short CV and a list of relevant publications.
Or use the contact form below and we will get back to you!