Venue: IKSŽ FSV UK, Hollar (Smetanovo nábřeží 6, Prague 1), Prague
Time: 30. October 2023 | 15:30

Too often, conspiracy thinking is allowed to present itself as societal criticism. For some, of course, conspiracy theories offer an explanation for feelings of alienation, powerlessness or despair; and a tool for criticising real or perceived elites.

Paradoxically, however, conspiracy theories are also weapons, employed by people in power to weaken criticism or – indeed – to undermine liberal democracy itself. In this university lecture, Øyvind Strømmen proposes a social critique of conspiracy theories: recognizing them both as a symptom and as a threat.

The lecture is part of Farm in the Cave«s project Online Hero, supported by the EEA Grants.

Øyvind Strømmen is a freelance journalist and author specialized in extremism and conspiracy theories. He has written several books, amongs them Det mørke nettet (The Dark Nettwork, 2011), ​​Den sorte tråden (The Black Thread, 2013), Giftpillen: konspirasjonsteorier og deres ødeleggende kraft (The Poison Pill: Conspiracy Theories and Their Destructive Power, 2021)

Øyvind Strømmen collaborates with the Farm in the Cave theatre studio as an external consultant covering the phenomenon of extremism and radicalisation.