TY - JOUR
AU - Rahlf, Lotta
PY - 2023
DA - January
TI - From democratic resistance to hostility against a “Covid-regime” – conspiracy theories as cross-milieu catalysts of radicalization
JO - Studies in Conflict & Terrorism
DO - https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2023.2169894
AB - How conspiracy theories mobilize protesters against the Covid-19 measures and whether they harbor an underestimated potential for radicalization requires more research. This paper first recognizes the possibility of anti-government conspiracy theories to mobilize a heterogeneous “resistance movement” and theorizes their ability to radicalize some supporters. An analysis of 71 interviews from the German magazine “Demokratischer Widerstand” reveals that an entire “Covid-regime” is often marked as an enemy. The empirical investigation suggests that conspiracy beliefs reflect a means of processing adverse experiences and anxieties, yet are increasingly directed against the political order, fostering anti-democratic attitudes and actions.
PB - Taylor and Francis
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10023/27601
KW - Coronavirus (COVID-19)
ER