Under the Eye of Power: How Fear of Secret Societies Shapes American Democracy

Cultural historian Dickey (Ghostland) argues in this gripping examination of America’s continuing embrace of conspiracy theories that “a paranoia of secret, subversive societies, is not just peripheral to the functioning of democracy, but at its very heart.” Appearing with regularity throughout American history, conspiracy theories “are almost always a carefully controlled and nurtured rhetorical tool to shift and shape what will and won’t be considered ‘American,’ ” according to Dickey. Moreover, popular memory glosses over the enormous number of small-scale conspiracy theories that arose (and sometimes still persist) under the mainstream radar. Dickey chronologically traces the various manifestations of conspiratorial thinking from the pre–Revolutionary War period to the 20th century, examining anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, anti-Labor, anti-Black, anti- (and pro-) slavery conspiracy theories, among others. Turning to the present day, he examines the rise of QAnon and wild theories about the origins of Covid-19. Drawing on the work of philosopher Karl Popper, Dickey sees conspiracy theories as “a secularized version of religion” and argues they must be resisted as part of the struggle for a free and fair democracy. This is a vivid and intriguing recontextualization of a misunderstood aspect of American history. (July)