070314 SE Seminar - Conspiracy theories in history and the present (2022S)

The political use of history has often been counted among the signifying elements of a new wave of globalization since the end of the Cold War. In this seminar, we will pursue the issue of how different societies have approached their history and politicized them in the service of particular interests in the present. These politics of history are not only specific to the historical contexts of nations, cultures, groups, etc., but they also have changed (and possibly converged) over time. The overarching research interest of the seminar is therefore focused on the emergence of global patterns in the social re-presentation of history. After an introduction to pertinent theories and terminologies, we will discuss a number of important issues (Holocaust, postcoloniality, victimization, revolution, terror, environmental debates).