Please excuse cross-postings
Hello colleagues,
Come write with us! Katie Greer and I are co-editing a volume and invite you to submit a chapter proposal by July 15. Please let me know if you have any questions; you can also direct any inquiries to Katie at
greer@oakland.edu. More information is below.
Title: Conspiracies and Visual Culture
Abstract
Conspiracy ideation in America is on the rise and has infected popular culture and social media. This phenomenon is deeply concerning, not least because it moves beyond fringe groups to influence mainstream discourse and belief systems. Despite extensive academic work on the psychological underpinnings of conspiracy belief and the linguistic/rhetorical analysis of related texts, a crucial gap remains. Specifically, there is an underdeveloped area of study concerning the sophisticated and widespread influence of the visual, not only in disseminating conspiracy ideation generally but at the juncture where it intersects with evangelical subcultures.
The information landscape is currently saturated with visual content designed to sow distrust and disseminate disinformation. The tools of digital media creation have become powerful vectors for this spread. Examples abound, from the unsettling realism of DeepFake TikToks and sophisticated AI-generated imagery, which blur the lines between reality and fiction, to seemingly innocuous visuals-photographs, charts, or video clips-that are removed from their original, legitimate contexts and weaponized to promote baseless narratives. The ease of production and viral distribution of this visual misinformation and disinformation means that educators must become acutely aware of the mechanisms by which visuals, more than just text, are influencing conspiracy ideation in novel and increasingly alarming ways.
To effectively combat this rising tide of visual disinformation, there is an urgent need for scholarly and practical intervention. Incorporating robust frameworks of visual literacy-the ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in images-and the broader concept of metaliteracy-the comprehensive understanding of how to produce, evaluate, and share information across various media-can significantly enhance our collective ability to analyze and deconstruct these narratives. This approach would allow us to move beyond simply identifying a conspiracy and delve into how semiotics and imagery-the signs, symbols, and visual language employed-influence and solidify conspiracy beliefs. Addressing the visual dimension of this crisis represents a crucial step toward filling a significant, and currently dangerous, gap in current scholarship and public awareness, especially as it relates to communities where these visual narratives are most readily accepted.
This edited volume aims to bring together leading scholars from both conspiracy studies and visual literacy studies to examine visual messaging in conspiracy theory culture.
The book will be divided into the following sections:
Part 1: The participatory environment: Visuals and conspiracy engagement
Part 2: Hidden messages: The semiotics of visuals in conspiracy communities
Part 3: Critical visual thinking: Educating for conspiracy avoidance
Part 4: Nefarious Tropes: Historical intersections of visuals and conspiracy theories
Chapter topics could include:
- Visual analysis of conspiracist aesthetics on social media
- Mis/ mal/disinformation as political tools
- Visual Literacy to inoculate against conspiracism
- Generative artificial intelligence and conspiracy visual culture
- Analyses of the attention economy, platform capitalism, or recommendation algorithms driving conspiracist content
- "Do your own research" communities or movements
- Historical analyses of the use of visuals to promote conspiracy theories
- Cultural influences of conspiracy theories
- Gender and sexuality studies and the "manosphere" or "trad" communities
- Information overload & culture
- Cognitive visual processing and conspiracy imagery
Logistics and Timeline:
Proposals between 250 and 500 words, CVs, and brief author bios (50-80 words) should be submitted to Stephanie Beene (sbeene@unm.edu) and Katie Greer
(greer@oakland.edu) by COB July 31, 2026.
The editors will review all submitted proposals and notify applicants by COB August 31, 2026. Chapters should be approximately between 7,000-8,000 words, and first drafts of completed manuscripts will be due COB March 31, 2027. The expected publication date will be in 2028.
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Stephanie Beene
Arts and Architecture Librarian for Graduate and Faculty Engagement
University of New Mexico
She/Her/Hers
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