How to decode and demystify the political uses of conspiracy theories and anti-Semitism: registration is now open for the Summer School ‘Political Conspiracism and Anti-Semitism’
An initiative organised as part of the European Jean Monnet Module GOLDSTEIN project, the Advanced Training Course of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa dedicated to the political uses of conspiracy theories and anti-Semitism will be held from 23 to 27 June 2025. Registration is open until 28 April
How is a conspiracy theory born? And how have conspiracy theories and denialism become propaganda tools in recent years to influence public opinion? The Summer School ‘Political Conspiracism and Anti-Semitism’, organised as part of the European Jean Monnet GOLDSTEIN project (‘Debunking Political Uses of Denialisms and Conspiracy Theories in EU’) coordinated by Marco Solinas, associate professor of political philosophy at the DIRPOLIS Institute (Law, Politics, Development) of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, seeks to analyse a complex and current phenomenon that is increasingly decisive in obtaining political consensus. A week of lectures and meetings (from 23 to 27 June 2025) with world-class experts to provide an introductory overview of strategies for analysing, decoding and demystifying some of the forms of political use of conspiracy theories and anti-Semitism.
The new edition of the course will pay particular attention to new conspiracy theories related to anti-Semitism and the dynamics of online disinformation, through an interdisciplinary perspective that includes political and legal theory, political philosophy, sociology, history and political science, in order to offer a wide-ranging analysis of the phenomena under examination.
The deadline for applications is 28 April 2025. All information about the call for applications is available at the following page: https://www.santannapisa.it/it/alta-formazione/summer-school-political-conspiracism-and-anti-semitism-2024-2025
"This third edition of the summer school on conspiracy theories will focus on anti-Semitism, and will therefore pay particular attention to a series of historical links between different forms of political conspiracy. The analysis of the now central issue of the spread of conspiracy theories online, and more generally of disinformation co-determined by the processes of disintermediation of information channels, will thus find historical support" says Marco Solinas.
Who is the course aimed at and what are the educational objectives?
The Summer School is open to anyone interested in the subject: university students, PhD students, post-docs, journalists, politicians. In the selection of applications, however, preference will be given to PhD students and post-docs, particularly in the field of political science. The registration fee is €100.
The educational objectives are to offer analytical tools that allow us to interpret and decode the processes through which denialism and conspiracy theories are used in political terms to obtain consensus.
The topics and scheduled talks
The dynamics of conspiracy theories in the United States of America, anti-Semitism in Nazi and neo-Nazi ideologies, conspiracy theories related to gender, geographical differences and the use of social media, historical analysis of the evolution of conspiracy theories in Italy. These are some of the topics that will be addressed in the Summer School ‘Political Conspiracism and Anti-Semitism’. The programme includes talks by: Marco Solinas, professor of philosophy at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Moreno Mancosu, professor of sociology at the University of Turin, Giuseppe Martinico, professor of law at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Uffa Jensen, professor of history at the Center for Research on Antisemitism, Technische Universität in Berlin, Claudia Hassan, professor of sociology at the University of Rome Tor Vergata; Giuliana Sorci, sociology researcher at the University of Siena, Anna Maria Lorusso, professor of semiotics at the University of Bologna, Marcus Funck, history researcher at the Center for Research on Antisemitism, Technische Universität Berlin, Joseph Uscinski, professor of political science at the University of Miami.
"The lectures offered will reveal a multiplicity of perspectives thanks to the presence of international scholars from different disciplines: from sociology to history, from semiotics to political philosophy, from comparative law to political science. This will provide a broad overview of approaches, methods, themes and problems inherent to a phenomenon whose forms and consequences cover many areas and spheres: from the epistemic preconditions of democracy guaranteed by public discussion and correct information, the rhetorical use of conspiracy theories for political ends; the issue of freedom of speech and the fight against discrimination and hate speech, and the increasingly pervasive spread of fake news and baseless theories. And more, major issues will be addressed up close, such as post-truth in relation to conspiracy theories, the role of social media in disinformation and misinformation, also in relation to gender issues; the different forms of conspiracy anti-Semitism in a historical perspective, up to the neo-Nazi movements of our days, as well as certain major strands of contemporary US conspiracy theories" Solinas concludes.
