| Ufos, Conspiracy Theories and the New Age: Millennial Conspiracism Contributor(s): Robertson, David G. (Author), Schmidt, Bettina E. (Editor), Sutcliffe, Steven (Editor) |
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ISBN: 1474253202 ISBN-13: 9781474253208 Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic OUR PRICE: $173.25 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: February 2016 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Religion - Social Science | Sociology Of Religion - Body, Mind & Spirit | Ufos & Extraterrestrials |
| Dewey: 001.942 |
| LCCN: 2015042312 |
| Series: Bloomsbury Advances in Religious Studies |
| Physical Information: 0.8" H x 6.2" W x 9.3" (1.15 lbs) 264 pages |
| Themes: - Topical - New Age |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: How-and why- were UFOs so prevalent in both conspiracy theories and the New Age milieu in the post-Cold War period? In this ground-breaking book, David G. Robertson argues that UFOs symbolized an uncertainty about the boundaries between scientific knowledge and other ways of validating knowledge, and thus became part of a shared vocabulary. Through historical and ethnographic case studies of three prominent figures-novelist and abductee Whitley Strieber; environmentalist and reptilian proponent David Icke; and David Wilcock, alleged reincarnation of Edgar Cayce-the investigation reveals that millennial conspiracism offers an explanation as to why the prophesied New Age failed to arrive-it was prevented from arriving by malevolent, hidden others. Yet millennial conspiracism constructs a counter-elite, a gnostic third party defined by their special knowledge. An overview of the development of UFO subcultures from the perspective of religious studies, UFOs, Conspiracy Theories and the New Age is an innovative application of discourse analysis to the study of present day alternative religion. |
Contributor Bio(s): Cox, James: - James Cox is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Edinburgh, UK.Robertson, David G.: - David G. Robertson is Editor-In-Chief of the Religious Studies Project, the largest internet resource for Religious Studies, and an officer for the British Association for the Study of Religion. He teaches at the University of Edinburgh, UK, and is the editor of the forthcoming volume After World Religions: Reconstructing the Introductory Course in Religious Studies. |
