QAnon as an Online-Facilitated Cult: Integrating Models of Belief, Practice, and Identity

Through the examination of QAnon as a religious apocalyptic "digital cult," this paper integrates individual psychological models regarding the espousal of conspiracy beliefs with sociological and anthropological models of religious cultism, particularly in the context of destructive and v...

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Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Cohen, Shuki J. (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Publié: Philosophy Documentation Center 2022
Dans: Journal of religion and violence
Année: 2022, Volume: 10, Numéro: 1, Pages: 37-71
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Résumé:Through the examination of QAnon as a religious apocalyptic "digital cult," this paper integrates individual psychological models regarding the espousal of conspiracy beliefs with sociological and anthropological models of religious cultism, particularly in the context of destructive and violent cults. This integrative model purports to reconcile the apparent contradiction between the extravagant irrationality of the QAnon belief-system with the otherwise normative demographics of its adherents and distinguish—as scholars of religion often do—between the creed, the practice, and the social identity aspects of the movement. Cultic studies (adapted to the digital age) are leveraged to discern the functions that different strata of adherents provide to the movement, and elucidate the mechanisms by which they coexist, collaborate, and avoid splitting along organizational or ideological fault-lines. The model also draws upon studies of apocalyptic cults and violent radicalization to caution against counter-productive over-generalization, over-sensationalizing, and over-pathologizing of QAnon believers.
ISSN:2159-6808
Contient:Enthalten in: Journal of religion and violence
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.5840/jrv202272197