You the readers will complete the list. The Castrochavismo conspiracy theory

Abstract

The study of conspiracy theories has often taken a normative perspective. Recently, sociology and cultural studies have argued for a neutral view of conspiracy theories, urging for a nuanced understanding of conspiracy theories. Building on a growing body of scholarship addressing conspiracy theories in relational terms, this article considers the advantages of analyzing conspiracy theories as controversies or issues, as formulated in Science and Technology Studies. Our primary focus is on the political uses of castrochavismo and how the digital objects are shared and reconfigured, shaping the dynamics of the issue. The core conceptual premise is that conspiracy theories are formed as particular cases of controversies, where the factions in dispute deploy repertories, and we identify the empiricist and ironizing ones. Drawing on a data collection from Twitter, we present the case of study of castrochavismo, with a particular focus in the Colombian electoral cycle. The case highlights the importance and challenges when analyzing a conspiracy theory from the lens of controversy studies, promoting a symetrical, non-normative, research of the topic.

Conspiracy theories in digital environments: Moving the research field forward

“…In such contexts, conspiracy theories are disseminated and consumed as esoteric discourses and amongst peripheric groups. In contemporary social media platforms, however, conspiracy theories are highly visible and have even become a commonly used rhetorical instrument in the mainstream public, political discourse and popular culture (see Albuquerque et al., 2022 ; Cheng et al, 2022 ; Guerrero Castro and Jaraba Barrios, 2022 ; in this special issue).…”

“…More precisely, the following four studies reflect on conspiracy theories’ interplay with far-right and mainstream right-wing politics. In the first paper – ‘You the readers will complete the list: The Castrochavismo Conspiracy Theory as Controversy’ – Guerrero-Castro and Jaraba-Barrios (2022) discuss the political function of the Castrochavismo conspiracy theory in Colombia. Focusing on right-wing politicians’ engagement with this conspiracy narrative on Twitter, the authors demonstrate that the Castrochavismo conspiracy narrative moves into Colombia’s mainstream politics during electoral cycles.…”