Conspiracy Theories in the Post‐Soviet Space

Abstract

Despite the ubiquity of conspiracy theories in the former Soviet Union, there is an almost total lack of systematic research on the issue. The relative absence of writing about conspiracy theories in Russia and the former Soviet Union is noteworthy as, since the Tsarist era, conspiracy theories have found fertile ground across the Russian empire and indeed the Soviet Union, and they continue to abound during in the post‐Soviet space. Perhaps it would not be an exaggeration to say that anyone recently doing social science or humanities research on the region will have come across conspiracy theories as a form of historical analysis or artistic expression, as has recently been explored with regard to the novels of Andrei Pelevin. The phenomenon seems to operate in fictional and nonfictional accounts both on the level of popular narratives and, in the case of Russia and some regional governments, in the official discourses of state power. Some of the reasons for the rise in popularity of conspiracy theories in the post‐Soviet era will be explored below. In fact, this introductory article serves a dual purpose: both to discuss the theoretical implications of analyzing conspiracy theories in the post‐Soviet space and to sketch out a research agenda for what is a largely unexplored field. The latter demands that we attend to questions of what might be specific and especially significant about conspiracy theories in the post‐Soviet space, and how the post‐Soviet type adds to the emergence of a field of conspiracy theory studies which seeks to understand this apparently increasingly prominent feature of the post‐modern world.

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“…Even though spreading anti-regime rumours (as well as telling jokes) has always been a risky endeavour under totalitarian circumstances (Oring 2016: 110, 128, and elsewhere;Kalmre 2013a: 18-19), this has never stopped people from sharing them. Regardless of their abundance, there is only little research done on the issue (Ortmann & Heathershaw 2012;Kalmre 2013a: 18-19), and this study seeks to fill this gap.…”

Paranoia with a purpose: conspiracy theory and political coalitions in Kyrgyzstan

“…Recent events in Russia and Ukraine have put CTs in the spotlight, reviving claims that the post-Soviet region is especially prone to CTs. This is a difficult assertion to evaluate -and there are other regions that might also claim this distinction -but the region certainly carries historical legacies that push in that direction (Ortmann and Heathershaw 2012). despite this fact, CTs are neither a constant nor always determinative of political outcomes.…”

“…It has been argued that the post-Soviet region is fertile ground for CTs due to the sudden political and economic transformations, distrust in society, and abuses of power (Ortmann and Heathershaw 2012;Yablokov 2014). Yet, it is rare that conspiracy becomes an official discourse.…”

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“…The emergence of countless conspiracy theories -partly a residue of Soviet ideology -is another aspect of imagology, implying a certain helplessness in grasping 'reality' (cf. Ortmann and Heathershaw 2012;Yablokov 2014).…”