Historical approaches to disinformation and conspiracy theories
Wednesday 25 January 2023, 10.00-12.00 CET (online)
The European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) is pleased to announce the launch of its online training module on “Historical approaches to disinformation and conspiracy theories”.
This training session will develop a historical approach to conspiracy theories. It aims to show that they are not just false or defective forms of information, but deep-seated cultural patterns that have been more or less legitimate across history and remain so until today even within certain regions of Europe. Understanding their evolution and, today, their variation across cultures is a crucial aspect of any strategy aimed at fighting disinformation, especially at the EU level because responses need to be customized to specific regions to be effective.
Target audience:
This training is aimed at relevant stakeholders working to understand and tackle disinformation in Europe, including policy-makers, fact-checkers and researchers.
Meet your trainers
Michael Butter has been Professor of American Literary and Cultural History at the University of Tübingen since 2014. He received his PhD from the University of Bonn in 2007 and his Habilitation from the University of Freiburg in 2012. He is the author of four monographs: The Epitome of Evil: Hitler in American Fiction, 1939–2002 (New York: Palgrave, 2009), Plots, Designs, and Schemes: American Conspiracy Theories from the Puritans to the Present (Berlin/Boston: de Gruyter, 2014), Der »Washington-Code«: Zur Heroisierung amerikanischer Präsident
Nicolas Guilhot is professor of intellectual history at the EUI.
Michael Butter has been Professor of American Literary and Cultural History at the University of Tübingen since 2014. He received his PhD from the University of Bonn in 2007 and his Habilitation from the University of Freiburg in 2012. He is the author of four monographs: The Epitome of Evil: Hitler in American Fiction, 1939–2002 (New York: Palgrave, 2009), Plots, Designs, and Schemes: American Conspiracy Theories from the Puritans to the Present (Berlin/Boston: de Gruyter, 2014), Der »Washington-Code«: Zur Heroisierung amerikanischer Präsident