ep. 158: Illuminati Influencer Queens, pt. 1

From the "grand dame of modern conspiracy theory" to moms "saving girls' sports," women spreading conspiracies goes so deep, it’s a two-parter. Cristen spends this episode with women’s historian Erin M. Kempker who details how predominantly white suburban women were mainstreaming right-wing, antifeminist conspiracy theories way before QAnon and Canva. 🐰🕳

guest:

• Dr. Erin M. Kempker: Big Sister: Feminism, Conservatism and Conspiracy in the Heartland | Faculty page

sources:

• Barkun, Michael. A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America. UC Press. 2003. 

• Bloom, Mia and Moskalenko, Sophia. Pastels and Pedophiles: Inside the Mind of QAnon. Stanford University Press. 2021.

• Burns, Katelyn. The rise of anti-trans “radical” feminists, explained. Vox. Sep 5, 2019.

• Cassese, E., Farhart, C., & Miller, J. Gender Differences in COVID-19 Conspiracy Theory Beliefs. Politics & Gender. 2020.

• Celestini, Carmen. Embryo Men — The Decades of Conspiracy, Christian Nationalism, and Fear That Led Us to The End of Roe v. Wade. Religion Dispatches. June 27, 2022.

• Cichocka, Aleksandra. To counter conspiracy theories, boost wellbeing. Nature. Nov. 10, 2020.

• Drążkiewicz, Elżbieta. Study conspiracy theories with compassion. Nature. March 29, 2022. 

• Gill-Peterson, Jules. From Gender Critical to QAnon: Anti-Trans Politics and the Laundering of Conspiracy. The New Inquiry. 

• Henderson, Alex. Inside the ‘soy boy’ conspiracy theory: It combines misogyny and the warped world of pseudoscience. Salon. Nov. 14, 2018. 

• Kempker, Erin. Big Sister: Feminism, Conservatism and Conspiracy in the Heartland. Erin Kempker. University of Illinois Press. 2018.

• Ohlheiser, Abby. How the Truth Was Murdered. MIT Technology Review. 

• Olmsted, Kathryn.Real Enemies: Conspiracy Theories and American Democracy, World War I to 9/11. Oxford University Press. 2011.

• Richards, Abby. The Conspiracy Chart. 2021.

• Sessa, Maria Giovanna. Misogyny and Misinformation: An Analysis of Gendered Disinformation Tactics During the Covid-19 Pandemic. EU DisinfoLab. Dec. 04, 2020.

• Tiffany, Kaitlyn. How a Fake Baby Is Born. The Atlantic. July 13, 2020. 

• Tiffany, Kaitlyn. The Women Making Conspiracy Theories Beautiful. The Atlantic. Aug. 18, 2020.

• Uscinski J, Enders A, Klofstad C, Seelig M, Drochon H, Premaratne K, et al. Have beliefs in conspiracy theories increased over time? PLoS ONE. 2022. 

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