The Politics of Pseudoscience: Power and Knowledge in Contemporary Russia

ABSTRACT

I examine the political significance of pseudoscience in contemporary Russia. Pseudoscience consists of theories and beliefs that pretend to be scientific but are not supported by evidence gathered and analyzed by appropriate methods. I argue that there is a mutually constitutive relationship between state authorities and some members of the pseudoscientific community in Russia. The former use pseudoscience in support of their ideological needs and propaganda efforts, while the latter utilize anti-Western rhetoric to increase their popularity and achieve official recognition. To support this claim, I describe key examples of mobilized pseudoscience and analyze their impact on the Russian narrative regarding the development of biological weapons near Russia’s borders.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

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