Book Review
Conspiracy Nation
by Ariel Bogle, Cam Wilson
During the pandemic, conspiracy theories seeped out from the shadowy recesses of the internet and into the mainstream, but they’ve been a part of Australian culture for far longer than you’d think. Even before the internet, everyday Australians have been fascinated by conspiracy theories about the Port Arthur massacre, vaccines, fluoride and the legitimacy of the Australian legal system, just to name a few. Journalists Ariel Bogle and Cam Wilson investigate homegrown and imported conspiracies, with first-hand accounts from friends, family and communities left behind, and some of the rare few who’ve come through the wormhole to the other side.
Conspiracy Nation engages with scholars, researchers, activists and experts, and takes readers on a tour through time, on the internet and into the streets, even covertly infiltrating Pete Evans’ $2,750 per weekend wellness retreat. Painting vivid but compassionate portraits of conspiracists, their followers and victims, Bogle and Wilson do not catastrophise, but instead focus on the causes and consequences of conspiracy theories, and our shared responsibility to take action.
Delving into the histories and perpetrators of the Port Arthur, Christchurch mosque and Wieambilla shootings, Bogle and Wilson interrogate the root causes of conspiracy-seeking – isolation, fear, inequality and feelings of powerlessness – providing thoughtful insights into potential interventions that might provide relief to these symptoms before conspiracies take hold. Conspiracy Nation also highlights the ways that conspiracy theorists co-opt language and divert attention from movements working to address real injustices in a chapter on First Nations sovereignty with Gumbaynggirr man Roxley Foley.
Conspiracy theories aren’t just a fringe concern; they’re having real-world ramifications in local and global politics, education, health and communities. From pseudolaw to the ‘plandemic’, conspiracy-motivated racism and homophobia to conspirituality, Conspiracy Nation is a fascinating insight, a compassionate call to action, and an altogether unputdownable read.
