Page 30
Chapter 1 : Charlotte's Web
As we scrambled to get our podcast together, we leaned heavily on the 2011 paper, "The Emergence of Conspirituality," by british independent researcher Charlotte Ward and American sociologist of religion David Vaos. The Paper contained the first modern-day definition of spirituality, referring to it as a synthesis of the "female-dominated New Age ( with its positive focus on self) and the male-dominated realm of conspiracy theory ( with its negative focus on global politics)." It was, they wrote, a "rapidly growing web movement expressing an ideology fueled by political disillusionment and the popularity of alternative worldviews."
Page 31
" Informed by the work of Ward and Vaos, we found ourselves studying the explosion of new conspirituality themes through the interplay of COVID-denialism, the reactionary politics of Trump, anti-vaccine fear mongering, and a cultish surge of prophetic spiritual dynamics. Conspiritualist viral messaging slipped into an already seamless e-commerce delivery system that leverages social media, email marketing, and websites designed to sell books, video courses, and online conferences to passionate followers with shared fears and longings. "
Get Kindle, Hardcover or Audiobook with Amazon