Publication detail

Anywhere or Somewhere - The Moral Geography of American Conspiracy Narratives

Year: 2025

Type of publication: ostatní - přednáška nebo poster

Publisher name: Vasile Alecsandri University of Bacău

Page from-to: nestránkováno

Titles:

Language	Name	Abstract	Keywords
eng	Anywhere or Somewhere - The Moral Geography of American Conspiracy Narratives	The late phase of modernity—or, to use Zygmunt Bauman’s term, liquid modernity—is defined by a clash between cosmopolitan, extra-territorial, mobile forms of identity and rooted, bounded, and territorially fixed modes of existence. While the former emphasizes an “Anywhere” identity (David Goodhart), characterized by individualism, openness to change, and spatial mobility, the latter prioritizes a “Somewhere” identity grounded in patriotism, cultural continuity, and social stability. Building on Goodhart’s dichotomy and extending it through the lens of Ronnie Janoff-Bulman’s theory of moral motives—particularly the contrast between prescriptive moralities (linked to Social Justice, encouraging care, equality, and openness) and proscriptive moralities (aligned with Social Order, emphasizing protection, tradition, and boundary maintenance)—this paper examines how conspiracy theories serve as ideological tools that frame space, mobility, and connectivity in moral terms, showing how spatial metaphors can become moral metaphors. Through the analysis of texts and media artefacts associated with conspiracy narratives (QAnon, Deep State, Agenda 21/Great Reset, etc.) the paper illustrates how these narratives depict the spatial dynamics of liquid modernity not just as political threats but as potential violations of a moral order.	anywhere; somewhere; geography of rejection; QAnon; Deep State; conspiracy narratives; mobility and connectivity; spatial metaphors

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