Nordiska konspirationsteorier genom tiderna
16 February 2021

Ur ett internationellt perspektiv har Norden inte framstått som en region där tron på ondsinta sammansvärjningar är särskilt stark. Men det finns gott om exempel på nordiska konspirationsteorier.
Konspirationsteorier blir allt vanligare i världen och de nordiska länderna är inget undantag. Finns det konspirationsteorier som är unika för de nordiska länderna? Vilka är de typiska berättelserna som sprids? Och när började det egentligen? Dessa frågor undersöks i en ny bok.
vid historiska institutionen, Uppsala universitet.
Boken Conspiracy Theories and the Nordic Countries är skriven av en grupp forskare från olika universitet i Skandinavien och släpptes av förlaget Routledge i januari 2021. Andreas Önnerfors, vikarierande universitetslektor vid historiska institutionen vid Uppsala universitet och professor i idéhistoria, är en av författarna.
– Konspirationsteorier är intressanta eftersom de är så udda och samtidigt ett sätt att försöka förklara historisk förändring. Konspirationsteorier ger folk en mall, en förklaring av både stort och smått. Det blir en tankemodell av vad som är sant och falskt men också ont och gott, säger Andreas Önnerfors.
Importerar konspirationsteorier
Ur ett internationellt perspektiv har Norden inte framstått som en region där tron på ondsinta sammansvärjningar är särskilt stark. De nordiska länderna är kända för sin stabila politik, välfärd och progressiva värden med stor tillit mellan olika samhälleliga aktörer. Men en närmare blick visar att så inte är fallet.
– Det finns tre olika nivåer. Vi importerar konspirationsteorier utifrån, till exempel kring 9/11 (terrordåden i USA). Det finns också speciella teorier som bara har en mening i en nationell kontext, ofta kopplat till nationella trauman som Palmemordet, Estoniakatastrofen och terrordåden i Oslo 2011, säger Andreas Önnerfors.
– Dessutom nästlas vi in i konspirationsteorier om Skandinavien. Till exempel feminismens attack på Svenska Akademien. Eller konspirationsteorier kring de nordiska länderna och ”Nordic Noir” – den mörka bilden som sprids i den nordiska deckarlitteraturen av den skandinaviska välfärdsstatens svarta baksida.
Attackerna på Svenska Akademin
Andreas Önnerfors medverkar i ett kapitel om staten och hemliga eliter, baserat på hans forskning om sammansvärjningen kring Gustav den III som ledde till att kungen mördades.
– Jag har också skrivit om nutida konspirationsteorier, till exempel om Svenska Akademins kris. Det finns en teori om att attackerna på Svenska Akademin egentligen handlade om att förstöra en av upplysningstankens sista utposter i vårt samhälle. Jag skriver också om svenska perspektiv på Palmemordet och Estoniakatastrofen, där mycket handlar om att sanningen blivit mörklagd.
Boken tar upp konspirationsteorier från tiden strax efter franska revolutionen, när Gustav III mördades och ända fram till vår egen samtid där Covid-19 har skruvat upp tonläget i de konspiratoriska världsförklaringarna till max.
Blir det allt vanligare med konspirationsteorier?
– Ja, vi har större närvaro i sociala medier, så det är bara ett klick borta. Det är också vanligare med konspirationsteorier i samband med stora kriser. Människor behöver förklaringar till stora händelser i samhället, som nu under corona-pandemin.
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