According to Colin Dickey, author of the forthcoming book about conspiracy theories called “The Unidentified,” such theories appear and spread at moments of upheaval and cultural anxiety. Dickey, writing recently in The New Republic magazine, examines the rise of conspiracy theories, long thought to be more the province of the right wing, on the left in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s election as president. We’ll ask what it means that the president himself has dabbled in conspiracy theories and has applauded such figures as Alex Jones. And we’ll investigate the what, why, where, when, and how of conspiracy theories with Colin Dickey, next time on Access Utah.
Colin Dickey is author of “Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places” and other books. He grew up in San Jose, California, a few miles from the Winchester Mystery House, the most haunted house in America. As a writer, speaker, and academic, he has made a career out of collecting unusual objects and hidden histories all over the country. He’s a regular contributor to the LA Review of Books and Lapham’s Quarterly, and is the co-editor (with Joanna Ebenstein) of The Morbid Anatomy Anthology. He is also a member of the Order of the Good Death, a collective of artists, writers, and death industry professionals interested in improving the Western world’s relationship with mortality. With a PhD in comparative literature from the University of Southern California, he is an associate professor of creative writing at National University.
