This thesis explores the shifts in Eurosceptic conspiracy rhetoric in the tweets of Dutch populist politician Geert Wilders, focusing on how he may strategically adjust his rhetoric as his Party...Show moreThis thesis explores the shifts in Eurosceptic conspiracy rhetoric in the tweets of Dutch populist politician Geert Wilders, focusing on how he may strategically adjust his rhetoric as his Party for Freedom (PVV) moves from an outsider to a mainstream party in the 2021 and 2023 elections. Using a mixed-methods approach, 1,573 tweets from Wilders' X-account were collected and analysed, identifying 253 tweets containing conspiracy rhetoric, including 32 Eurosceptic conspiracy rhetoric tweets. The study created and employed a robust codebook to code the conspiracy tweets for their theme, agent, action, and intensity. The thesis places itself in the existing literature on the intersection of populism and conspiracy theories and their shared characteristics of anti-elitism, anti-pluralism, and threatened nationalism. Moreover, the study is underpinned by the theory that populism and conspiracy theories are used as an anti-establishment mobilisation tool, based on those shared characteristics. The study’s findings indicate that conspiracy rhetoric was more common and intense during Wilders' outsider position in 2021, with a dominant theme of deliberate government malfunction and targeting the government and political establishment as the conspiring agents. In contrast, in the 2023 election period, when Wilders gained a mainstream status, the conspiracy rhetoric became less frequent and its content less intense, focusing on themes of migration and its associated threats. This shift suggests a strategic moderation of Wilders' rhetoric to position himself as a potential coalition and government partner. These findings contribute to the broader discussion on populism and conspiracy rhetoric by showing the shifts in this rhetoric are mainly based on the changing party status. As many populists are experiencing a mainstreaming shift all over the world, this study is highly relevant. Further research can build on the current study, by employing a similar analysis that compares two populists’ rhetoric and by analysing Wilders’ rhetoric once more during or after his time in government.Show less
This thesis sets out to find an answer to the question 'How does the QAnon movement negotiate failed prophecy in order to ensure the survival of the movement?' In order to answer this question, the...Show moreThis thesis sets out to find an answer to the question 'How does the QAnon movement negotiate failed prophecy in order to ensure the survival of the movement?' In order to answer this question, the first chapter provides some context to the development of the QAnon movement and their prediction of an event known as 'the Storm'. It also illustrates that the QAnon movement is similar to open source religions and consists of a strong participatory culture. The second chapter creates a theoretical framework, largely borrowed from religious studies' investigations in failed prophecy, in order to classify the different responses of QAnon followers to the failure of the Storm. The third chapter delves into these responses and categorizes them into different types. After studying these different responses, this thesis predicts that QAnon will fall apart into the smaller conspiracy theories of which it consists. The thesis concludes that open source religions are likely to respond to the failure of their prophecies in similar ways as QAnon.Show less
