Seventeenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

Conspiracy theory is the belief that a tactically employed plot by superior instigators and adherents of a faction is utilized to dethrone any imagined or real opposition and achieve an evil end. Several scholars have interrogated conspiracy theories and their appeal in given societies. Others note that conspiracy theories which were once limited to fringe audiences, have become prevalent in mass media and consequently, emerging as a cultural phenomenon around the world today. The aim of this study is to examine conspiracy theories in the light of the plagues or epidemics that devastated people in antiquity and the ebola virus disease in Africa, with a view to intrinsically interrogating the relevance of conspiracy theories to the growth and development of society. This study puts forward the argument that society becomes more aware and protective of itself when it assumes that a form of conspiracy is being strategized, advertently or inadvertently, by a superior power to completely disable and decimate her bourgeoning population. The study adopts the historical and comparative enquiry in examining the phenomenon with regard to the diseases in both societies. Critical theory is adopted as theoretical framework for the study. Further studies may examine the effect of conspiracy theories with regard to politics and espionage in antiquity and modern Nigeria.