28 – Kaun?-spiracies Casting light on the formation, seduction, and utilization of conspiratorial tropes in South Asia

October 3, 2025
3:45 pm
H05
Over the last decade, the study of “conspiracy theories” has received renewed scholarly interest worldwide. Populist campaigns, the establishment of national authoritarian governments, and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to an atmosphere allegedly replete with conspiracy theories and fake news. In this panel, we will focus on case studies from trans-local South Asia to understand the transcultural movement of conspiracy theories, their seductive powers, and their utilization in people’s day-to-day lives. Since investigating conspiracy theories necessitates an interdisciplinary approach, we invite papers dealing with at least one of these three critical areas promising innovations to the studies of conspiracy theories: a.) In-depth anthropological fieldwork among communities frequently targeted by conspiracy theories, such as religious, ethnic, and gender minorities. This ethnographic focus will help us demonstrate the wide range and often ambivalent real-life effects of conspiratorial tropes on the lives of South Asia’s marginalized communities. b.) Computational and media anthropology research on digital platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, and X to add vernacular discourses in South Asian languages and digital content to contribute to a field predominantly focused on anglophone material. c.) Studies in vernacular discourses in political journals, literature, and newspaper articles (from the 1947 partition until today) in various South Asian languages to analyze the discourse around local concepts for conspiracies such as sazish (Urdu سازش Hindi साजिश ) or shadyantra (Hindi षड्यंत्र Bengali ষড়যন্ত্র). The Kauns?-spiracies panel will initiate a long-overdue re-reading of theories of conspiracy theories through a focus on case studies and examples from digital and non-digital South Asian media environments.

Convenor

Dr. Jürgen Schaflechner

Presentations

Conspiracies & Imaginations of Deep State: Everyday State and Politics ofSurveillance in Kashmir
Sharma Sarbani - School of Development, Azim Premji University, Bangalore, India
Boycott Bollywood! Gossip, Contagion, and the Curious Case of Sushant Singh Rajput
Sen Meheli - AMESALL/ Cinema Studies, Rutgers University, Somerset, United States
Alleging Jewish Life in the Islamic Republic of PakistanAn ethnography of the secret.
Schaflechner Juergen - FU, FU, Berlin, Germany
Emotion and Affect Invoked in News Reporting on the “Muslim Conspiracy” Behind the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Peter Peter Gottschalk - Department of Religion, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, United States