Proponent: Silvia CRISTOFORI

Chair: Francesca CADEDDU

Speakers: Francesca CADEDDU, Silvia CRISTOFORI, Amina EL GANADI, Marianna NAPOLITANO

The panel presents some of the midterm findings of the European Union-funded Jean Monnet FreeBeRI (Freedom of Belief and Right to Information), which combines research, teaching, and third-mission actions on the connection between freedom of religion and freedom of information.
Furthermore, FreeBeRI promotes the critical tools of “the historian’s craft” for recognizing, understanding, and fighting conspiracy theories. In particular, the panel focuses on conspiracy theories formulated against and/or within religions that, by feeding hate speeches, severely threaten democratic processes in Europe and beyond. The papers presented in this panel cover the following list of topics: conspiracy theories, religions, and hate speech;

hate speech and conspiracy theories against and within religions in European history; historical connections and discontinuities between “old” and new conspiracy theories propagated through digital communication and social media; historical-critical method as a weapon against conspiracy theories and hate speech; conspiracy theories as a severe threat to EU democratic processes; EU policies against misinformation and disinformation as severe threats to freedom of information and/or religion; EU international relations and post-truth politics.

CONSPIRACY THEORY AS A HISTORIOGRAPHICAL CATEGORY FOR EUROPEAN RELIGIOUS HISTORY

Silvia CRISTOFORI Link Campus University / FSCIRE

WESTERN CONSPIRACY TO DESTROY RUSSIA? THE POLITICS OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH AT THE EUROPEAN UNION

Marianna NAPOLITANO University of Modena and Reggio Emilia / FSCIRE

FROM BYTES TO BIAS: TRACING THE TRAILS OF EUROPEAN CYBER ISLAMOPHOBIA ON CHINESE SOCIAL MEDIA

Amina EL GANADI FSCIRE / DREST