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Events

"They are after us!": Emotions and entertainment in conspiracy theories. A conversation with Andrè Hoever and Philipp Wunderlich

Conspiracy theories, with their often grotesque content, challenge us to distance ourselves and shake our heads. Nevertheless, they have a bizarre entertainment value. For those who believe them, sober reality is transformed into a captivating drama. Based on this finding, André Hoever develops an insightful perspective on the phenomenon of conspiracy theory in his cultural sociological essay. Its adherents attempt to combine an emotionalised attitude with the factual and scientific self-image of an enlightened society. They achieve this by transferring the narrative form of the thriller to reality. In this way, they become the confident heroes of a story and see themselves in a position to supposedly solve social crises better than officially recognised experts. André Hoever  is a sociologist and social pedagogue. He lives and works in Duisburg. He previously studied social pedagogy and sociology in Cologne and Berlin and was a fellow at the interdisciplinary Cluster of Excellence "Languages of Emotions" at the Free University of Berlin.   Philipp Wunderlich  is a research associate in the EU Horizon project PLEDGE at the IPU Berlin, which analyses emotional mechanisms in "Grievance Politics". He is also a doctoral candidate in sociology at the Free University of Berlin. His PhD explores "political emotions" with a focus on the relationship between emotions and political mobilisation in the context of right-wing populism, conspiracy theories and civic engagement. His other research topics and interests include emotions and social inequalities as well as media and misinformation.

Location: Habelschwerdter Allee 45, Room KL 32/102

Apr 29, 2025 | 06:00 PM c.t. - 08:00 PM

Annual conference: "Mobilizing Affect - Affective Mobilization"

The “ Mobilizing Affect – Affective Mobilization ” conference delves into the powerful role of affect and emotion in driving social and political mobilization. It examines the dynamics of affect in prompting (political) action, shaping activist practices, and sustaining social movements. In the context of global crises, disputes over inequalities, identities, and rights are intensifying, while affects and emotions themselves increasingly become subjects of negotiation and social conflict. At the same time, affect is not only a driving force for progressive activism but also plays a crucial role in the rise of authoritarian and right-wing movements. Featuring contributions from academics, activists, and artists, the conference aims to deepen the understanding of affect’s role in mobilizing social transformation – across the political spectrum.   With Lara Baladi, Stefanie de Velasco, Aletta Diefenbach, Fadia Elgharib, Michal Givoni, Marina Guzzo, Jonas Harbke, Clare Hemmings, Billy Holzberg, Gesa Jessen, Simon Koschut, Cesy Leonard, Margreth Lünenborg, Ani Makhashvili, Dominik Mattes, Carolyn Pedwell, Kerstin Schankweiler, Tanja-Bianca Schmidt, Verena Straub, and Sinthujan Varatharajah.   The conference is organized by the Collaborative Research Center 1171 “ Affective Societies ”, FU Berlin, in cooperation with the TU Dresden research project “ Image Protests on Social Media ” and ICI Berlin.

Location: ICI Berlin - Institute for Cultural Inquiry

May 21, 2025 - May 23, 2025