Just a reminder that we are still accepting abstracts or outlines for
articles for "The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories" Special Theme issue of
_Clio's Psyche_, December, 2000.
While many scholars have already expressed interest in writing on this
timely subject, we encourage many others to share their unique psychosocial
insights in this area.
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Dear Colleague,

I cordially invite you to contribute to the "Psychology of Conspiracy Theories" special theme issue,
December, 2000, of _Clio's Psyche: Understanding the 'Why' of Culture, Current Events, History,
and Society_.  We seek articles on the historical motivation of conspiracy theories -- the Why here
and Why now?  Why there and Why then? -- from a psychological or psychoanalytic perspective,
supported by examples from current events or history.

SUGGESTED TOPICS INCLUDE:
- Historical overview of conspiracy theories
- Psychodynamics of conspiracy theories
- Ethnic and racial group conspiracy theories as part of group's identity
- Childhood roots of conspiracy theories
- Conspiracy theories as traumatic reliving
- The pleasure and pain of the secret knowledge of conspiracy theories
- Which historical circumstances favor the development and diffusion of conspiracy theories
- Distinguishing between real and rational conspiratorial politics, and imagined and irrational
conspiracy theories
- Revisiting Richard Hofstadter's "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" 35 Years Later
- Beyond "pathology," or the legitimate social function(s) of moderate mainstream "conspiracism"
- Reasonable suspicion as a rational watchfulness rather than paranoia
- Meeting the need to know vis à vis government and organization secrecy
- Satisfying the need for enemies against whom the self or group can be defined
- Collective delusions that reflect real social problems

CASE ANALYSES:
- New World Order (NWO) and militias
- Alien encounters and government cover-up
- Anti-Semitism in Japan without Jews
- AIDS and drugs among Afro-Americans
- Death of Princess Diana

PROFILES OF:
- Militia members
- Pat Robertson and the Christian Right
- Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam

CONSPIRACY THEORIES IN MEDIA:
- The "conspiracy community" of radio, books, magazines, and Internet sources that
promote conspiracy theories
- Conspiracy theories as entertainment, even thrill-seeking
- Radio talk shows
- Television's "X-Files" (and its creator, Chris Carter)
- Cinema's Conspiracy Theory (1997), Parallax View (1974), and Manchurian Candidate (1962)
- Are conspiracy theories on the Internet, with the many sites, zines, newsgroups, and mailing
lists, just more of the same or is it qualitatively different?
- Analyzing two to four weeks of postings to electronic mailing list "CTRL" (Conspiracy Theory
Research List) or newsgroup "alt.conspiracy" or both.

REVIEW ESSAYS OR REVIEWS:
- Mark Fenster, Conspiracy Theories: Secrecy and Power in American Culture (1999)
- Carl F. Graumann and Serge Moscovici (eds.), Changing Conceptions of Conspiracy (1987)
- George E. Marcus (ed.), Paranoia Within Reason: A Casebook on Conspiracy as Explanation (1999)
- Timothy Melley, Empire of Conspiracy: The Culture of Paranoia in Postwar America (2000)
- Nancy Lusignan Schultz (ed.), Fear Itself: Enemies Real and Imagined in American Culture (1998)
- Robert Singh, The Farrakhan Phenomenon: Race, Reaction, and the Paranoid Style in American Politics (1997)

We are looking for articles from 500 to 1500 words -- including your brief biography -- written for the
educated layperson and without much psychological/psychoanalytic terminology or jargon.

An abstract or outline should be submitted by October 1 and the article by October 15, e-mailed as
a Microsoft _Word_ or a rich text format (*.rtf) file to [log in to unmask]  Articles will be
refereed.  The editors reserve the right to reject any article as unsuitable.

I hope you can join this important endeavor.  If you have any questions please contact me at
[log in to unmask]  _Clio's Psyche_, a scholarly quarterly now in its seventh year of
publication, is edited by Paul H. Elovitz, PhD, and published by the Psychohistory Forum.  For
more information, please visit our Web site at www.cliospsyche.com  .

Sincerely,

Bob Lentz, Associate Editor
_Clio's Psyche_
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