Introduction: The Social and Political Dynamic of Conspiracy Theories, Rumours, Fake News, and Belief Narratives
Introduction: The Social and Political Dynamic of Conspiracy Theories, Rumours, Fake News, and Belief Narratives

Summary/Abstract: This special issue of journal Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore focuses on the research of conspiracy theories, contemporary legends, and rumours – sets of ideas and practices, their spread, consistence, and models, spreading as newslore, fake news, and communication styles – which strongly influence today’s society and often create insecurity. The potential of this material as an influencer of human thinking and history, of political and cultural values and illusions, is big. Rumours and their related genre, legends, have a significant role in today’s social and everyday communication. Articles presented here proceed from these two genres as cultural matrixes, by means of which folkloristics and its neighbouring fields can study creativity and the complexity of human speech acts throughout history, cultures, and numerous determined and undetermined circumstances (Harris-Lopes 2003; Fine 1997).

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