Hope and Fear: Modern Myths, Conspiracy Theories and Pseudo-History

Description

A myth-busting journey through the twilight world of fringe ideas and alternative facts. Is a secret and corrupt Illuminati conspiring to control world affairs and bring about a New World Order? Was Donald Trump a victim of massive voter fraud? Is Elizabeth II a shapeshifting reptilian alien? Who is doing all this plotting? In Hope and Fear, Ronald H. Fritze explores the fringe ideas and conspiracy theories people have turned to in order to make sense of the world around them, from myths about the Knights Templar and the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, to Nazis and the occult, the Protocols of Zion and UFOs. As Fritze reveals, when conspiracy theories, myths, and pseudo-history dominate a society's thinking, facts, reality, and truth fall by the wayside.

Ronald H. Fritze is Professor of History and Religion at Athens State University, Alabama. He is the author or editor of ten books including Invented Knowledge: False History, Fake Science and Pseudo-Religions (Reaktion, 2009), and Egyptomania: A History of Fascination, Fantasy, and Obsession (Reaktion, 2016).

"Fritze is at his best when exploring the psychological mechanisms and historical forces that have thrust people into a post-truth world. Recommended."-- "Choice" "When the Queen reached the seventieth anniversary of her accession to the throne recently, very little of the coverage focused on David Icke's theory that Her Majesty is a shape-shifting reptilian alien who, along with other world leaders, is only pretending to be human in order to maintain dominance over us. You and I might think this lack of coverage was just because the theory is a load of rubbish. Icke and his followers would maintain that the lack of evidence for their statement simply shows how cunning reptilian aliens are at hiding the truth. Fritze's exhaustively researched book examines the history of such crazy beliefs and the reasons people are drawn to them. 'Humans like a good story' is one of his most basic assertions and, indeed, some lunatic theories started off as fiction."-- "Daily Mail" "Already the leading scholar of the subject of pseudohistory, Fritze offers a brilliant account of a range of modern cases, with his important up-to-the-minute examples throwing important light on the vogue for conspiracy theories. Written with wit and clarity."--Jeremy Black, author of "The Power of Knowledge: How Information and Technology Made the Modern World" "From the 'crazy' uncle spouting nonsense at family gatherings to politicians tarring opponents with outlandish crimes, the conspiratorial mindset is everywhere around us. In this remarkable book, Fritze shows how conspiracy ideas have evolved over time to serve specific ends, and how they shape our modern world."--Roger D. Launius, former NASA Chief Historian, author of "Apollo's Legacy: Perspectives on the Moon Landings" "In Hope and Fear, Fritze takes the reader on an enlightening tour of the sort of minds that latch on to what he calls 'malign forms of junk knowledge.' The book traces a common link among fans of freaky fantasies, one that stretches from the Nazi cult of the supernatural, through alien-abduction conspiracists, and up to the Covid deniers and QAnon embracers of our own mottled age."-- "Independent" "This fascinating book demystifies pseudohistory, myths, and conspiracy theories with surgical precision. Hope and Fear gives us a complete understanding of these worldwide phenomena and the reasons why they appear. It will be of great interest not only to scholars but to any person of intellectual integrity who questions the reality in which we live, as well as the reversal of fact and fiction to which we are exposed in our everyday life."--Mirela Altic, Institute of Social Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia