Under the Eye of Power: How Fear of Secret Societies Shapes American Democracy

by Colin Dickey Narrated by Will Damron

Overview

From beloved cultural historian and acclaimed author of Ghostland comes a history of America's obsession with secret societies and the conspiracies of hidden power

The United States was born in paranoia. From the American Revolution (thought by some to be a conspiracy organized by the French) to the Salem witch trials to the Satanic Panic, the Illuminati, and QAnon, one of the most enduring narratives that defines the United States is simply this: secret groups are conspiring to pervert the will of the people and the rule of law. We'd like to assume these panics exist only at the fringes of society, or are unique features of the internet age. But history tells us, in fact, that they are woven into the fabric of American democracy.

Cultural historian Colin Dickey has built a career studying how our most irrational beliefs reach the mainstream, why, and what they tell us about ourselves. In Under the Eye of Power, Dickey charts the history of America through its paranoias and fears of secret societies, while seeking to explain why so many people-including some of the most powerful people in the country-continue to subscribe to these conspiracy theories. Paradoxically, he finds, belief in the fantastical and conspiratorial can be more soothing than what we fear the most: the chaos and randomness of history, the rising and falling of fortunes in America, and the messiness of democracy. Only in seeing the cycle of this history, Dickey says, can we break it.

Editorial Reviews

SEPTEMBER 2023 - AudioFile

Our guide to this overview of conspiracy theories that have obsessed Americans for most of our history is narrator Will Damron, who speaks with just the right mix of authority and urgency. Beginning before the Revolution and extending through the twentieth century, the author covers the Illuminati, the Masons, the Lizard People, the John Birch Society, the Ku Klux Klan, and more. Dickey's thesis is that fears of some secret and malevolent group--whether witches, Catholics, or communists--are a feature of our history and that conspiracy theories give meaning to otherwise irreconcilable behaviors or incomprehensible events. Though it seems we're in their thrall today, 'twas ever thus, a fact that is some consolation. Still, Dickey says, we shouldn't downplay the threats that we face now. L.W.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

★ 05/08/2023

Cultural historian Dickey (Ghostland) argues in this gripping examination of America’s continuing embrace of conspiracy theories that “a paranoia of secret, subversive societies, is not just peripheral to the functioning of democracy, but at its very heart.” Appearing with regularity throughout American history, conspiracy theories “are almost always a carefully controlled and nurtured rhetorical tool to shift and shape what will and won’t be considered ‘American,’ ” according to Dickey. Moreover, popular memory glosses over the enormous number of small-scale conspiracy theories that arose (and sometimes still persist) under the mainstream radar. Dickey chronologically traces the various manifestations of conspiratorial thinking from the pre–Revolutionary War period to the 20th century, examining anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, anti-Labor, anti-Black, anti- (and pro-) slavery conspiracy theories, among others. Turning to the present day, he examines the rise of QAnon and wild theories about the origins of Covid-19. Drawing on the work of philosopher Karl Popper, Dickey sees conspiracy theories as “a secularized version of religion” and argues they must be resisted as part of the struggle for a free and fair democracy. This is a vivid and intriguing recontextualization of a misunderstood aspect of American history. (July)

From the Publisher

The Washington Post's "50 Best NonFiction Books of 2023"

"Roaming from the Freemasons to QAnon, this tour of American moral panics amid social upheaval and downturn is a bracing reminder that conspiratorial thinking is nothing new."—New York Times Book Review's "Editors' Choice"

"Dickey vividly retells the histories of many of the conspiratorial fables that Americans have used to frighten and mobilize themselves, offering complex, well-informed analyses."—The Washington Post

“In his timely new book…Colin Dickey writes entertainingly about conspiracy theories, real and imagined.”—The Boston Globe

"[A] poignant argument on how belief in secret societies, from the KKK to QAnon, influences American democracy."—Chicago Tribune

"We can think of no better writer than Colin Dickey...to examine America’s foundational obsession with conspiracy. From Salem to John Birch to Pizzagate, the “paranoid style” has been a part of this country’s identity long before it was given name by John Hofstadter in 1964. But what are we to do when people would rather ascribe their ill fortune to shadowy cabals of powerful puppet masters than the randomness of the universe? For Dickey, the first step is admitting we have a problem."—LitHub's "10 Nonfiction Books to Read This July"

“A vivid and intriguing recontextualization of a misunderstood aspect of American history.”
—Publishers Weekly *Starred Review*

"An entertaining, elucidating, and disturbing trip off the beaten path."
—Publishers Weekly "2023 Summer Reads"

"The author of Ghostland and The Unidentified returns with a colorful history of conspiracy theories in the U.S...In an engrossing narrative, Dickey explains how the human search for purpose can become comical, weird, and/or dark."
—Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

2023-04-04
The author of Ghostland and The Unidentified returns with a colorful history of conspiracy theories in the U.S.

Humans are disposed to seek order and explanation, but the world around us is a messy and unpredictable place. In this engaging book, cultural historian Dickey examines how conspiracy theories have been a way to deal with this tension. Most are harmless and a bit wacky, but others can metastasize into violence and persecution. The U.S. has a history of conspiracy theories dating back to the founding, and Dickey tracks theories about Freemasons, Catholics, and witches, among other groups. Most theories are based on the premise that a secret cabal is planning to undermine democratic institutions and personal freedom, or had already done so and was governing from the shadows. As society became more complex, many people felt an increasing desire for a single answer, a hidden paradigm that explained everything. Conspiracy theories are usually derived from a few pieces of evidence that are slotted together. Contrary material or alternate explanations are merely ignored or, in many cases, subsumed into the conspiracy itself. The internet, where anyone can say anything, was a boon for conspiracy theorists, both as a means to start new theories and to spread old ones. There are plenty on both ends of the political spectrum, but Dickey shows how, currently, the radical right has the edge in terms of number, variety, and silliness. The good news is that most conspiracy theories eventually burn out; the bad news is that they are quickly replaced. The best way to counter them, writes the author, is with common sense and hard-nosed skepticism. However, they are unlikely to disappear. “The idea that our day-to-day lives are determined far more by chaos than by human agency may be too much for many people to process,” Dickey concludes.

In an engrossing narrative, Dickey explains how the human search for purpose can become comical, weird, and/or dark.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176675177
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	07/11/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,232,894

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