Witchcraft and Partisanship in Contemporary Society: The Case of QAnon

QAnon is a wide-scoped conspiracy theory that rose to significant prominence, particularly online, since its 2017 inception with pseudononymous posts made to the website 4Chan by a self-described “Q Clearance Patriot” or “Q” as they are often referred. Significant scholarly attention has been paid to QAnon, particularly its popularity among the far right or as an example of misinformation spread. The present study adds to this literature first by properly situating QAnon in its cultural context as one of hundreds of conspiracy theories and other counternormative explanations competing with each other and the cultural mainstream for attention and support within a heterodox cultural space known as the cultic milieu. Secondly, using this cultural lens, I present a new theory of conspiracy theory genesis based on social geometric patterns described by the Pure Sociology paradigm developed by Donald Black and others. Lastly, I present a theory of radicalization which explains both QAnon’s rapid growth and apparent failure to mobilize its members into actions towards the movement’s stated goals.