DOCSLIB.ORG

Special Virtual Panel CFP Esoteric, Occult, and Magical Conspiracism at Southwest Popular/American Culture Association (Deadline Dec 13) (Conference Feb 22-27)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Special Virtual Panel CFP Esoteric, Occult, and Magical Conspiracism at Southwest Popular/American Culture Association (Deadline Dec 13) (Conference Feb 22-27) H-Announce Special Virtual Panel CFP Esoteric, Occult, and Magical Conspiracism at Southwest Popular/American Culture Association (deadline Dec 13) (conference Feb 22-27) Announcement published by George Sieg on Friday, December 11, 2020 Type: Conference Date: December 13, 2021 Location: New Mexico, United States Subject Fields: Social History / Studies, Popular Culture Studies, Political History / Studies, Journalism and Media Studies, American History / Studies The study of conspiracism overlaps with the study of esotericism, occultism, and magic in several respects. In addition to the frequent significance of secrecy and clandestine interactions in the history of esoteric, occult, and magical movements, their association (real or imagined) with heterodox religious movements, political subversion, and intelligence organizations has led to close association of these conceptions with each other in popular cultural imagination as well as in their own subcultural milieux. Esotericists, occultists, and magicians have themselves engaged in conspiracist conception, generated conspiracy theories, and projected them onto others, as well as themselves being the recipients of such projections by both religious and secular actors throughout history. These tendencies have continued into the present and also developed criminological manifestations, with the mythology and legendaria of Satanic Ritual Abuse being a prominent example, perhaps lately complemented and/or contrasted by anti-elite conspiracism focusing on allegations of pedophila in connection with Satanism in the conspiracist aesthetic of the QAnon movement. Those conceptions achieved sufficient prominence to be directly referenced by the anchor of a major news network in a United States presidential town hall, although they remain in general significantly more fringe than SRA conceptions were at the peak of that moral panic. Additionally, esotericism, occultism, and magic share various modes of thought with conspiracist worldviews; although these styles are not identical, further exploration of their similarities and differences might be rewarding. Another area of overlap is the shared well of mythology, imagery, and aesthetics from which all of these categories of worldviews seem to draw. This has been expressed through popular-cultural representations as well as facilitated and shaped by them; a common example seems to be the resemblance of extraterrestrial subversion and/or invasion conspiracism to demonologies, and sometimes the deliberate identification of the one with the other by conspiracists who may or may not also share esoteric, occult, or magical worldviews or worldviews oriented toward opposing these. Finally, the historical interest of some esoteric, occult, and magical organizations and societies in actual conspiracy as well as in intelligence endeavors, and the interest of conspiracies (whether political or criminal) and intelligence organizations in the world of esoteric, occult, and magical Citation: George Sieg. Special Virtual Panel CFP Esoteric, Occult, and Magical Conspiracism at Southwest Popular/American Culture Association (deadline Dec 13) (conference Feb 22-27). H-Announce. 12-11-2020. https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/6950142/special-virtual-panel-cfp-esoteric-occult-and-magical Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 1 H-Announce endeavor has been frequently verified but continues to invite further exploration. These and any related avenues of approach would be relevant angles of contribution for proposals to a special panel for which papers are sought. These will be presented in the week of the 22 to 27 February 2021 at the all-virtual online conference of the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association, in the Area of Esotericism, Occultism, and Magic. To make a proposal to this special panel or to request the full CFP for the Esotericism, Occultism, and Magic Area, please contact the Area Chair, Dr. George J. Sieg, at [email protected] Papers presented will also be considered for publication either in conference-area-related anthology or in a special smaller publication associated with this panel, depending on response and interest. Please email with your interest as soon as possible, even if you are still working on an abstract, as proposals need to be submitted on Sunday, December 13. Contact Info: Dr. George J. Sieg : [email protected] Area Chair : Esotericism, Occultism, and Magic at Southwest Popular/American Culture Association (505) 440 2105 Contact Email: [email protected] Citation: George Sieg. Special Virtual Panel CFP Esoteric, Occult, and Magical Conspiracism at Southwest Popular/American Culture Association (deadline Dec 13) (conference Feb 22-27). H-Announce. 12-11-2020. https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/6950142/special-virtual-panel-cfp-esoteric-occult-and-magical Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 2.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Honoring the Truth: a Response to the Backlash
    HONORING THE TRUTH: A RESPONSE TO THE BACKLASH by ELLEN BASS and LAURA DAVIS from THE COURAGE TO HEAL: A GUIDE FOR WOMEN SURVIVORS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE THIRD EDITION, 1994 published by HarperCollins “Honoring the Truth” is a response to the current backlash against adult survivors of child sexual abuse. If you’ve watched TV, listened to the radio, or read newspapers or magazines in the past two years, it’s likely that you’ve heard about the “false memory syndrome” and have witnessed attacks on survivors’ memories and credibility. It is these attacks we are responding to here. As in the rest of The Courage to Heal, we have included the experiences of survivors as well as practical self-help information. Unlike the rest of the book, however, we also incorporate here the work of therapists, researchers, and other experts—and more than a hundred footnotes—to place this backlash in a historical and political perspective.1 A number of survivors and professionals have read “Honoring the Truth.” Most appreciated having clear information and an analysis of the issues. One survivor wrote to us, “I felt a lot of the cloudiness of the issue fall away—I felt reassured and validated.” Another said, “I am not as likely to get sucked into the fear and doubt that the backlash is trying to perpetuate.” Yet this same survivor said it had been a lot harder to read than she 1 In writing The Courage to Heal, we listened to survivors of child sexual abuse and presented what we learned in a clear, practical, and respectful way.
    [Show full text]
  • Recantation and False Allegations of Child Abuse
    Recantation and False Allegations of Child Abuse Prepared by David N. King, Ph.D. Maureen Drost, B.A. Selected Bibliography 2005 Updated 2011 Muriel K. Wells, MLIS This publication was supported in part by Grant No. SM 54259-01 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Copyright © 2005, 2011 National Children’s Advocacy Center. All rights reserved. 1 ©National Children’s Advocacy Center, 2011 Recantation and False Allegations of Child Abuse Recantation and False Allegations of Child Abuse Selected Bibliography Introduction The issues pertaining to recantation and false allegations of abuse by children are among the more complex to understand psychologically and to interpret accurately. Ac-cording to Lipian, Mills and Brantman (2004), false allegations of abuse may derive from (1) submitting to suggestion by authority figures; (2) the result of "pseudo memories;" or (3) the product of evading honest answers. Recantation may result from the same reasons. Scope This bibliography focuses specifically on literature related to recantation and false allegations of abuse experienced in childhood. The relationship between disclosure, memory, truthfulness, fantastical storytelling, suggestibility, and coaching with recantation and false allegations is complex. To the extent possible, this bibliography does not, except in passing, delve deeply into those topics, preferring instead to provide guidance to publications that specifically address the core topic of false allegations and recanted accusation.
    [Show full text]
  • Qanon and Facebook
    The Boom Before the Ban: QAnon and Facebook Ciaran O’Connor, Cooper Gatewood, Kendrick McDonald and Sarah Brandt 2 ‘THE GREAT REPLACEMENT’: THE VIOLENT CONSEQUENCES OF MAINSTREAMED EXTREMISM / Document title: About this report About NewsGuard This report is a collaboration between the Institute Launched in March 2018 by media entrepreneur and for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) and the nonpartisan award-winning journalist Steven Brill and former Wall news-rating organisation NewsGuard. It analyses Street Journal publisher Gordon Crovitz, NewsGuard QAnon-related contents on Facebook during a provides credibility ratings and detailed “Nutrition period of increased activity, just before the platform Labels” for thousands of news and information websites. implemented moderation of public contents spreading NewsGuard rates all the news and information websites the conspiracy theory. Combining quantitative and that account for 95% of online engagement across the qualitative analysis, this report looks at key trends in US, UK, Germany, France, and Italy. NewsGuard products discussions around QAnon, prominent accounts in that include NewsGuard, HealthGuard, and BrandGuard, discussion, and domains – particularly news websites which helps marketers concerned about their brand – that were frequently shared alongside QAnon safety, and the Misinformation Fingerprints catalogue of contents on Facebook. This report also recommends top hoaxes. some steps to be taken by technology companies, governments and the media when seeking to counter NewsGuard rates each site based on nine apolitical the spread of problematic conspiracy theories like criteria of journalistic practice, including whether a QAnon on social media. site repeatedly publishes false content, whether it regularly corrects or clarifies errors, and whether it avoids deceptive headlines.
    [Show full text]
  • American Monsters: Tabloid Media and the Satanic Panic, 1970-2000
    AMERICAN MONSTERS: TABLOID MEDIA AND THE SATANIC PANIC, 1970-2000 A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Sarah A. Hughes May 2015 Examining Committee Members: Kenneth L. Kusmer, Advisory Chair, History Carolyn Kitch, Journalism Susan E. Klepp, History Elaine Tyler May, External Member, University of Minnesota, American Studies © Copyright 2015 by Sarah A. Hughes All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT “American Monsters: Tabloid Media and the Satanic Panic, 1970-2000,” analyzes an episode of national hysteria that dominated the media throughout most of the 1980s. Its origins, however, go back much farther and its consequences for the media would extend into subsequent decades. Rooted in the decade’s increasingly influential conservative political ideology, the satanic panic involved hundreds of accusations that devil-worshipping pedophiles were operating America’s white middle-class suburban daycare centers. Communities around the country became embroiled in criminal trials against center owners, the most publicized of which was the McMartin Preschool trial in Manhattan Beach, California. The longest and most expensive trial in the nation’s history, the McMartin case is an important focal point of this project. In the 1990s, judges overturned the life sentences of defendants in most major cases, and several prominent journalists and lawyers condemned the phenomenon as a witch-hunt. They accurately understood it to be a powerful delusion, or what contemporary cultural theorist Jean Baudrillard termed a “hyperreality,” in which audiences confuse the media universe for real life. Presented mainly through tabloid television, or “infotainment,” and integral to its development, influence, and success, the panic was a manifestation of the hyperreal.
    [Show full text]
  • Ritual Abuse: the Under-Recognized Problem Author: Svali Published On: March 8, 2000
    Untitled URL: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/6554/35043 Suite101.com Inc. <www.suite101. com> Ritual abuse: the under-recognized problem Author: Svali Published on: March 8, 2000 **If you are a survivor of ritual abuse, please be aware that reading about it may be triggering. Please take care of yourself, and be in a safe place before reading Ritual abuse. The word conjures up images of people in robes, chanting, or perhaps a grade D horror flick. But what is the reality? First, let's look at a definition of ritual abuse: Ritual abuse is the systematic, repetitive abuse of both children and adults by either an individual or a group. It may involve psychological, sexual, physical and/or spiritual abuse, and the effects are devastating on the individual who undergoes it. Often survivors of this type of extreme abuse cope by dissociating, and as adults may continue the cycle of amnesia and abuse. The key word here is : repetitive. Ritual abuse is done repetitively, in a consistent pattern, over time. This may be done in the name of a religious belief, or simply out of patterned cruelty. Any idealogy can and has been used to justify the pattern of abuse. Most of the victimization begins in early childhood, and is done by adults who were themselves abused. The cycle continues because people often do not realize that they can stop it; often, they feel "trapped" in the pattern of abuse. What is the incidence of ritual abuse today? Statistics vary, depending upon the source. When I lived in a large metropolitan city in the Southwest, population close to 2,000,000 , the group that I was affiliated with, known as the Illuminati, had 24 sister groups.
    [Show full text]
  • Child Sex Rings: a Behavioral Analysis for Criminal Justice Professionals Handling Cases of Child Sexual ~ Exploitation
    If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISt.f9IN(. 1~"I"j('lrl'l~I) -----1.---' CHI L D R E N Child Sex Rings: A Behavioral Analysis For Criminal Justice Professionals Handling Cases of Child Sexual ~ Exploitation In cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation ------------------ 149214 U.S. Department of Justice National Institute of Justice This document has been reproduced exactly as received from the person or organization originating it. Points of view or opinions stated in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the National Institute of Justice. Permission to reproduce this copyrighted material has been grantedNaElona1 by • center f'or Mlsslng . & Exploited Chi1dren/DOJ/FBI to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS). Further reproduction outside of the NCJRS system requires permission of the copyright owner. Child Sex Rings: A Behavioral Analysis For Criminal Justice Professionals Handling Cases of Child Sexual Exploitation April 1992 Second Edition Kenneth V. Lanning Supervisory Special Agent Behavioral Science Unit Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Academy Quantico, Virginia © National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Dedication This book is dedicated to the victims of child sex rings and to the memory of two FBI agents who devoted their professional lives to helping sexually exploited children. Leo E. Brunnick FBI Boston, Massachusetts Alan V. MacDonald FBI Boston, Massachusetts Contents Author's Preface v 1. Historical Overview 1 "Stranger Danger" 1 Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse 2 Return to "Stranger Danger" 2 The Acquaintance Molester 3 Satanism: A "New" Form of "Stranger Danger" 3 2.
    [Show full text]
  • <---BACK to INDEX
    8/17/2020 Pedophilia Defined <----- BACK TO INDEX ------- (c) 2007-2019 Derek W. Logue. No part of this website may be used in any way without expressed written consent of the site owner. REGISTERED CITIZENS vs PEDOPHILES vs “SEX OFFENDERS”: UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCES Derek W. Logue of OnceFallen.com Published 14 July 2019 INTRODUCTION The mainstream media and American society as a whole tends to use the terms “sex offender” and “pedophile” interchangeably. At times, news reports use the erroneous term “convicted pedophile.” This article examines the differences between people diagnosed with pedophilia and people convicted of a sexual offense. People can be forced to register without having a clinical diagnosis of pedophilia, and a clinically diagnosed pedophile is not listed on the public sex offense registry if he or she has not omitted a sexual offense. SEMANTICS MATTERS The major premise needs to be stated repeatedly: “Pedophile” is a clinical term, "Sex Offender" is a legal term. You cannot be convicted of “pedophilia” but you can be convicted of a sex offense. There is no such thing as a “convicted pedophile.” You can be a pedophile without committing a sex offense. You can commit a sex offense and not be a pedophile. In order to understand the differences, we must begin with a proper definition of each term. “Sex Offender” The definition of the term “sex offender” is pretty straightforward—“A person who has been found guilty of one or more sex crimes.”[1] This means anyone convicted of adult rape, a prostitute or person paying for prostitution,[2] a teenager engaging in various sexual acts with a teenager,[3] a public urinator,[4] a teenager engaging in sexting,[5] or someone who viewed a nude picture of someone ages 16 or 17 (even if it is legal to engage in sexual intercourse with the person in the picture)[6] can be classified as “sex offender” without engaging in sexual activity involving a prepubescent minor.
    [Show full text]
  • PLM5340 Fringe Politics and Extremist Violence
    1 From Wewelsburg to Project Monarch: Anatomy of a Fringe Violence Conspiracy Alex Burns ([email protected]), June 2005 Abstract In 1982 the Temple of Set (ToS) a pre-eminent ‘Satanic’ religious institution faced an initiatory crisis. Its senior initiate Dr. Michael A. Aquino travelled to Heinrich Himmler’s Wewelsburg castle to reflect on the ethical and philosophical implications of the crisis. The resulting document, a reflective meditation known as the ‘Wewelsburg Working’, later became controversial when it was leaked to Christian fundamentalist, Patriot militia, the Larouche movement and cult awareness communities. This essay examines the Wewelsburg Current as a case study in how social diffusion of ‘forbidden knowledge’ may create unforeseen effects and why the document was interpreted differently by new religious groups, media pundits, law enforcement officials and extremist political subcultures. The sources include publicly available literature, hermeneutic interpretation of internal documents, and reflexive heuristic inquiry (this addresses issues of research subjectivity given the author’s ToS membership between 1996 and 1998). It also draws on insights about the broader ‘Nazi Occult’ subculture by Joscelyn Godwin, Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, Mark Jonathan Rogers, Stephen Edred Flowers and Peter Levenda. The essay identifies four key problems for future research. First, researchers of extremist politics will need to be familiar with reflexive embodied research. Second, critical layered methods are required to evaluate different interpretations of knowledge claims. Third, the social diffusion of ‘forbidden knowledge’ often creates crises that rival the nuclear proliferation debate. Fourth, the ‘Wewelsburg Working’ has ethical implications about confronting the ontological nature of radical evil in an era Michael Ignatieff defines as ‘virtual war’.
    [Show full text]
  • Satanic Panic
    BOOK REVIEW: Satanic Panic: Pop Cultural Paranoia in the 1980s RODGERS, Diane <http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3117-4308> Available from Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive (SHURA) at: http://shura.shu.ac.uk/23113/ This document is the author deposited version. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from it. Published version RODGERS, Diane (2016). BOOK REVIEW: Satanic Panic: Pop Cultural Paranoia in the 1980s. Cinema Retro. Copyright and re-use policy See http://shura.shu.ac.uk/information.html Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive http://shura.shu.ac.uk Satanic Panic: Pop Cultural Paranoia in the 1980s Ed. Kier-La Janisse & Paul Corupe (2015) Spectacular Optical Publications www.spectacularoptical.ca ISBN: 978-0992-146313 $29.95 CAN / £17.95 UK Review by Diane Rodgers Those around in the 1980s may well remember hysteria about 'video nasties' and the fevered destruction of records in America bearing the (then new) Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics label, fuelled by fears of a pervading obsession with evil amongst youth and popular culture. Satanic Panic studies this moral frenzy from a vast array of perspectives in fascinating depth, outlining the fears of anxious parents and a confused mainstream culture about teens supposedly embroiled in Satanic cults and potentially carrying out ritual abuse, devil worship, suicide or murder at any given moment. Following the rise of interest in the occult from the 1960s onward, it's easy to see why Reagan's America, still reeling from the confusion of Vietnam and the implications for the 'American Dream', morality and family values, latched onto something so easily sensationalised as a scapegoat to blame for all of society's problems.
    [Show full text]
  • Who Are the UFO Abductees and Ritual-Abuse Survivors?
    Supernatural Support Groups: Who Are the UFO Abductees and Ritual-Abuse Survivors? CHRISTOPHER D. BADER In the 1980s two different groups emerged that exhibited a strikingly similar combination of the quasi-religious and psychotherapeutic—UFO abductees and ritual-abuse survivors. Both movements focused on healing members from victimization they had experienced at the hands of beings of often supernatural power. Further, both movements attempt to use techniques developed in psychotherapeutic circles, such as hypnosis, art therapy, and role playing, to recover “repressed” memories at the hands of these abusers. This article presents the results of surveys of 55 UFO abductees and 51 ritual-abuse survivors. Both UFO abductees and ritual-abuse survivors are compared to the general population in terms of their gender, age, race, marital status, education, and occupation. It is determined that the demographics of these two fledgling movements closely mirror those of other NRMs. In the 1980s two different movements emerged that exhibited a strikingly similar combination of the quasi-religious and psychotherapeutic—UFO abductees and ritual-abuse survivors (Paley 1997). Both movements focused on healing members from victimization they had experienced at the hands of beings of often supernatural power. Further, both movements use techniques developed in psychotherapeutic circles, such as hypnosis, art therapy, and role playing, to recover “repressed” memories at the hands of these abusers. In the mid-1980s an increasing number of support groups appeared that were centered around so-called UFO abductions. UFO abductee support groups attempt to help people recover re- pressed memories of victimization at the hands of extraterrestrials. Also in the mid-1980s an increasing number of therapists and support groups focusing on “ritual abuse” began seeking clients/members.
    [Show full text]
  • They Couldn't Get My Soul': Recovered Memories, Ritual Abuse
    Studies in Religion / Sciences Religieuses 1–19 ª The Author(s) / Le(s) auteur(s), 2018 They Couldn’t Get My Reprints and permission/ Reproduction et permission: Soul: Recovered sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0008429817748138 Memories, Ritual Abuse, journals.sagepub.com/home/sr and the Specter(s) of Religious Difference Megan Goodwin Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Abstract: During the 1980s and early 1990s, hundreds of women recovered memories of suffering extraordinary and nefarious torments at the hands of loved ones and trusted authority figures—a phenomenon that came to be known as satanic ritual abuse (SRA). In this article, I argue that late twentieth-century satanic ritual abuse discourse helped perpetuate intolerance toward non-Christian religions and foreclose conditions of possibility for benign religious difference in the United States. Psychological diagnoses related to satanic ritual abuse fueled popular anxieties regarding the sexual peril of American minority religions. Perpetuating diagnoses of satanic ritual abuse reinforced popular suspicions that religious minorities are dangerous, particularly when it comes to matters of sexuality. Re´sume´ : Au cours des anne´es 1980 et 1990, des centaines de femmes ame´ricaines ont raconte´ avoir e´te´ victimes de violences religieuses extraordinaires de la part de leurs proches (famille et figures d’autorite´). Ce phe´nome`ne a e´te´ de´signe´ par le terme de SRA (satanic ritual abuse). Cet article avance l’hypothe`se selon laquelle ces re´cits d’abus sataniques rituels ont soutenu et encourage´ un discours d’intole´rance envers les religions non-chre´tiennes aux E´tats-Unis.
    [Show full text]
  • RSS Date Posted : December 19, 2005 11:31:48 PM Comments
    76. Posted by : RSS Date Posted : December 19, 2005 11:31:48 PM Comments : I escaped from a SRA coven in the Scottsbluff/Gering NE area in 1973. I am a SRA survivor. 77. Posted by : tamtam Date Posted : December 13, 2005 05:26:51 AM Comments : thak you for making me feel that im not alone 78. Posted by : Suzi Date Posted : December 05, 2005 03:27:05 AM Comments : Amajor sex, plus body assault, by use of drugs happened to me in 2001. Family, law officials, political people: no one's willing and or able to help! please pray for truth out! N.H. seacoast 79. Posted by : denise Date Posted : December 04, 2005 05:49:38 AM Email : [email protected] Website URL : angel Comments : ritualabusrtorture by a priest,nun and a group of six 80. Posted by : jules Date Posted : November 23, 2005 06:49:02 PM Comments : Multigenerational freemason/catholic connection with high level illuminati programming since birth, escaped at 20yrs, recovered memories of extreme illuminati connections with US, trafficked around US for 2 years (high level current day politicians involved along with CIA programming) Im still alive but fighting horrendous amounts of programming along with DID diagnosis. determined to expose all involved and educate people on SRA and how deep it goes with connections through every class and socio/economic system. SRA happened in Ashburton/Christchurch NZ but was trafficked to high level political/military locations in US. There is survival and hope after SRA. Never let them win. 81. Posted by : invisiblegirl Date Posted : November 06, 2005 04:21:50 AM Comments : network is happening and people who could help wont believe it is happening to kids.
    [Show full text]