This one-day research workshop will explore new critical perspectives on conspiracy theory and mis/disinformation discourse. The ongoing boom in applied academic research to diagnose and debunk conspiracy theories and mis/disinformation is driven by understandable anxieties about the dangers such material can pose. Nevertheless, like ‘terrorism’ – as Critical Security Studies has shown – the label ‘conspiracy theory’ proves in practice to be disturbingly malleable and is now also routinely used to discredit dissenting or unpalatable opinion, contrary to the spirit of critical enquiry and in ways which threaten democratic values. Like ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation’, the label ‘conspiracy theory’ positions designated opinions beyond the sphere of legitimate democratic debate, tagging them in readiness for digital destruction and marking their bearers for segregated exclusion.

The epidemiological paradigm, which can frame not only mis/disinformation and conspiracy theory but also legitimate dissent, as an ‘infodemic’, may itself be a danger to democracy. By constructing human subjects as vulnerable vessels prone to ideological contagion, this paradigm involves a form of pastoral power whereby competent authorities are tasked with guiding the public to the ‘correct’ conclusions. The assumption is that given the 'correct' information, the 'correct' conclusions will be drawn. This workshop seeks to investigate how well-intentioned defence against falsehoods can inadvertently – or deliberately – be used to shrink the space for legitimate debate, discrediting dissenting or unpalatable opinions by positioning them beyond the pale of rational discussion.