Is a secret and corrupt Illuminati conspiring to control world affairs and bring about a New World Order? Was Donald Trump a victim of massive voter fraud? Is Queen Elizabeth ii a shape-shifting reptilian alien? Who is doing all this plotting?
In Hope and Fear, Ronald H. Fritze explores the fringe ideas and conspiracy theories people have turned to in order to make sense of the world around them, from myths about the Knights Templar and the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, to Nazis and the occult, the Protocols of Zion and ufos. As Fritze reveals, when conspiracy theories, myths and pseudo-history dominate a society’s thinking, facts, reality and truth fall by the wayside.
Ronald H. Fritze is Professor of History and Religion at Athens State University, Alabama. He is the author or editor of ten books, including Invented Knowledge: False History, Fake Science and Pseudo-Religions (Reaktion, 2009), and Egyptomania: A History of Fascination, Fantasy, and Obsession (Reaktion, 2016).