ABSTRACT
This chapter aims at providing the reader with a clear and concrete understanding of what contemporary conspiracy theories are about. Based on a qualitative content analysis of seven prominent Dutch conspiracy websites, a systematic categorization of the most popular conspiracy theories based on their thematic content is offered. The theoretical backdrop of this chapter is the premise that conspiracy culture has radically changed: from the scapegoating of an exotic Other (secure paranoia), to more diffuse suspicions about enemies from within (insecure paranoia). In line with the emic classifications, I distinguish and detail six key categories of conspiracy narratives: finance, media, corporatism, science, government, and the supernatural. The analyses show that contemporary conspiracy theories have a strong institutional focus: they are about the malfunctioning of mainstream societal institutions and the contested nature of truth and knowledge in Western societies, but they often also involve suspicions of the (covert) machinations of a relatively small cabal: the power elites ruling the world. Instead of moving from modern conspiracy theories to postmodern paranoia, contemporary conspiracy culture has both types of conspiracy discourse. The chapter argues therefore that we can better see this historical argument as analytical: it helps to conceptualize an ideal-typical contrast between types of conspiracy discourses.
