O desenvolvimento linguístico do conceito Teoria da Conspiração e suas implicações históricas

Cintia Coelho da Silva; Isabel Orestes Silveira

doi:10.5433/1984-3356.2025v18n36p216-250

Authors

Cintia Coelho da Silva Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7999-1748
Isabel Orestes Silveira Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5825-3084

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5433/1984-3356.2025v18n36p216-250

Keywords:

Meaning, Concept, Conspiracy theory, Language, Public opinion

Abstract

The present text aims to offer a broader understanding of the concept of “conspiracy theory” and its pair concepts: “negationism” and “predictive programming” – since the concepts favor knowledge production and, consequently, to expand the possibilities of understanding a particular topic. The essay was elaborated from the linguistic evolution of the concept, throughout history. Based on the construction of “conceptual trees” (Barros, 2016), on the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of Norman Fairclough (1995) and on the use of big data (Google Trends), it was verified the evolution of the pejorative sense of the concept of “conspiracy theory” due to the media communicative force, to the promoters of digital content and to the governmental influence (Rankin Junior, 2017).

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Cintia Coelho da Silva, Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie

Master’s degree in History from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP).

Isabel Orestes Silveira , Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie

PhD in Communication and Semiotics from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP) and Master’s degree in Visual Arts from the Institute of Arts of São Paulo State University (UNESP). Faculty member at Mackenzie Presbyterian University, affiliated with the Graduate Program in Education, Art, and Cultural History.

References

BARROS, José D’Assunção. Os conceitos: seus usos nas ciências humanas. Petrópolis: Vozes, 2016.

BASHAM, Lee. Joining the Conspiracy. Argumenta, [s. l.], v. 3, n. 2, p. 271-290, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.23811/55.arg2017.bas

BRADBURY, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. São Paulo: Biblioteca Azul, 2012.

BUTTER, Michael; KNIGHT, Peter. ‘The History of Conspiracy Theory Research: a Review and Commentary’. In: Joseph E. Uscinski (ed.). Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them. New York: online edn: Oxford Academic, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190844073.003.0002. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190844073.003.0002

BYFORD, J. Beyond belief: The social psychology of conspiracy theories and the study of ideology. In: ANTAKI, C.; CONDOR, S. (ed.). Rhetoric, ideology and social psychology: essays in honour of Michael Billig. London: Routledge, 2014. p. 83-94.

CUCHE, Denys. A noção de cultura nas ciências sociais. Bauru: EDUSC, 1999.

DAVID Kaye on the Global Challenges to Freedom of Expression. [S. l.: s. n], 2016. 1 vídeo (1h 24min). Publicado pelo canal Department of Public Policy at CEU. Disponível em: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv5EqJMYXGQ. Acesso em: 17 set. 2025.

DEHAVEN-SMITH, Lance. Conspiracy Theory in America. Texas: University of Texas Press, 2013

DENTITH, Matthew Richard Xavier. Xander Xanthias Xerxes Xanatos X Dracos Hieronymus Oliphant Ransome: in defense of conspiracy theories. 2012. Thesis (Degree of Doctor of Philosophy) - University of Auckland, Auckland, 2012.

FAIRCLOUGH, N. Critical discourse analysis: the critical study of language. London: Longman, 1995.

FENSTER, Mark. Conspiracy Theories: secrecy and Power in American Culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 1999.

FIORIN, José Luiz. Elementos de análise do discurso. São Paulo: Editora Contexto, 2021.

GOFFMAN, Erving. Stigma: notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1963.

GRAUMANN, Carl F.; MOSCOVICI, Serge (Org.). Changing Conceptions of Conspiracy. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1987. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4618-3

HARARI, Yuval Noah. Nexus: a Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI. New York: Random House, 2024. 492 p.

HOFSTADTER, Richard J. The paranoid style in American politics. New York: Harper’s Magazine, 1964.

IF STIGMA is the problem, using different words may not help. The Economist, London, 16 Feb. 2023. Disponível em: https://www.economist.com/ culture/2023/02/16/if-stigma-is-the-problem-using-different-words-may-not-help. Acesso em: 2 mar. 2023.

LAGES, Patrícia. Programação preditiva: fato ou teoria da conspiração? R7, São Paulo, 25 nov. 2022. Disponível em: https://lifestyle.r7.com/patricia-lages/ programacao-preditiva-fato-ou-teoria-da-conspiracao-25112022?amp. Acesso em: 23 abr. 2023.

LATOUR, Bruno. Why Has Critique Run out of Steam? From Matters of Fact to Matters of Concern. Critical Inquiry. Chicago, v. 30. p. 225-248, 2004. Disponível em: 89-CRITICAL-INQUIRY-GB.pdf (bruno-latour.fr). Acesso em: 26 maio 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/421123

LIPPMANN, Walter. Opinião pública. Petrópolis: Editora Vozes, 2017.

MARQUEZI, Dagomir. A higienização da cultuta. Revista Oeste, São Paulo, 3 mar. 2023. Disponível em: https://revistaoeste.com/revista/edicao-154/a-higienizacao-da-cultura/. Acesso em: 12 mar. 2023.

MILLER, Mark Crispin. Preface. In: PARENTI, Michael. Dirty Truths. San Francisco: City Lights Books, 1996. p. 7–14.

NEUWIRTH, Rostam J. The Global Regulation of “Fake News” in the Time of Oxymora: facts and Fictions about the Covid19 Pandemic as Coincidences or Predictive Programming? International Journal for the Semiotics of Law, [London], v. 35, p. 831-857, 2022. Disponível em: https://link.springer.com/content/ pdf/10.1007/s11196-021-09840-y.pdf. Acesso em: 18 jul. 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11196-021-09840-y

OED - Oxford English Dictionary Online. Entry: conspiracy theory. Oxford University Press, 2024. Disponível em: www.oed.com. Acesso em: 17 dez. 2025.

POPPER, Karl. Open Society and Its Enemies: book II. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1945.

QUEIROZ, Gustavo. O Brasil é o 89º em ranking da liberdade de expressão medido em 161 países, aponta ONG. Estadão, São Paulo, 30 jun. 2022. Disponível em: https://www.estadao.com.br/politica/brasil-e-o-89-em-ranking-da-liberdade-de-expressao-medido-em-161-paises-aponta-ong/. Acesso em: 3 mar. 2023

RANKIN JUNIOR, James Edwin. The conspiracy theory meme as a tool of cultural hegemony: a critical discourse analysis. 2017. Thesis (Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Human and organizational Systems) - Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, 2017.

ROBERTSON, Morgan. The wreck of the titan: or, futility. Rahway: The Quinn and Boden Press, 1898.

SANTOS, Boaventura de Sousa. Epistemologias do Sul. São Paulo: Cortez, 2017.

SILVA, Cintia Coelho da. Tendências e Contornos da Sociedade de Consumo: primeiro livro da trilogia Mídia, Mediações e Consumo. São Paulo: Editora Dialética, 2022.

VAN PROOIJEN, Jan-Willem; ACKER, Michele. The influence of control on belief in conspiracy theories: Conceptual and applied extensions. Applied Cognitive Psychology, [Montreal], v. 29, n. 5, p. 753-761, 2015. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.1002/acp.3161. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3161

WHY DID “sensitivity readers” revise Roald Dahl’s books?. The Economist, London, 23 Feb. 2023. Disponível em: https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/02/23/why-did-sensitivity-readers-revise-roald-dahls-books. Acesso em 3 mar. 2023.