Michael Butter

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Michael Butter (born May 26, 1977 in Munich ) is a German Americanist . Since 2014 he has been professor of American literature and cultural history at the University of Tübingen . His research interests include conspiracy theories , film and television, as well as the colonial and early republic (USA). He leads an EU research project on the analysis of conspiracy theories.

Life and academic career

After graduating from high school at Hellenstein-Gymnasium Heidenheim in June 1996, Butter studied English , German and history at the University of Freiburg from 1997 to 2003 . He completed his studies with the first state examination for high school teaching and the master’s examination. The title of his master's thesis submitted to Manfred Pütz was Death and the Media in Selected Works by Don DeLillo .

From 2004 to 2007 he studied American studies for a doctorate at the University of Bonn , which he completed with a dissertation entitled The Epitome of Evil: Hitler in American Fiction, 1939–2002 with Sabine Sielke .

In 2012 he was at the University of Freiburg with Scripture plots, themes, and Schemes: American Conspiracy Theories from the Puritans to the Present at Wolfgang Hochbruck habilitation .

From 2013 to 2014 Butter was Professor of American Studies at the University of Wuppertal .

Since 2014 he has been W-3 Professor of American Studies at the University of Tübingen and also head of the Department of American Literary and Cultural History.

Butter names conspiracy theories, American literature and culture of the colonial times and early republic, folk culture, film and television (especially contemporary television series), heroes and heroizations, narratology , American culture after 9/11, and contemporary literature as his main research areas .

Memberships

  • German Society for American Studies
  • International Society for the Study of Narrative
  • German University Association
  • 2005–2008 member and co-coordinator of the DFG network "The Futures of European (American) Studies"
  • since April 2008 Junior Fellow in the School of Language & Literature at FRIAS .
  • Since April 2018 initiator, member and deputy chairman ( Action Vice Chair ) of the project for the comparative analysis of conspiracy theories ( COMPACT - Comparative Analysis of Conspiracy Theories) of the European framework organization for the coordination of science and technology ( COST ).

Publications and their reception

The Epitome of Evil, 2009

The slightly revised Butters dissertation follows on from Alvin Rosenfeld's work Imagining Hitler . The topic is the cultural and political function with which Adolf Hitler was portrayed in US literature and other media from 1939 to 2002. Butter tries to fathom the fascination of Hitler's metaphor, its influence on the imagination and the multitude of literary and cinematic works. He traces the development of the media processing of the image of Hitler from the pre-war period to the war on terror . He concentrates particularly on the accumulation of depictions of Hitler since 1968. In his view, Hitler's metaphor has been transformed from a means of the left for critical demarcation against the right into a rhetorical means of the political right, with the help of which the strength and superiority of the USA confirmed. In crucial historical situations, this new fictional image of Hitler served the right to overcome political crises: During the Vietnam War and in the war on terror, i.e. in times of the crisis of imperial and exceptionalist sense of mission , the image of Hitler served as a means of countering doubts about the democratic mission of the United States served.

Ina Bergmann states in her review that the main result of the Butters study is that the demarcation against Hitler primarily serves to elaborate a Manichaean worldview: In it, the USA embodies the absolute good, Hitler and powers related to him the absolute evil . The image of Hitler thus serves the cultural self-assurance and strengthening of identity by demarcation from the " other ". The history and ideology of National Socialism are thus morally solidified, “ontologized”, and thus lose the quality of being historically and rationally explainable. Butter sees this as the main danger of dealing with the past, including the German processing of the Hitler issue, because nothing can be learned from such an alienated abstract symbolism of evil for the self-critical shaping of the present and the future. Butters analysis, so Bergmann, can be read as a critical representation of the path of American culture and its self-image. She took this new path after the 9/11 attacks in order to make sure of her national identity and to reconstruct it.

Plots, Designs, and Schemes, 2014

content

In his English-language habilitation thesis , Butter, under the subtitle American Conspiracy Theories from the Puritans to the Present, examines the theories that the US governments actively disseminated and implemented from the beginnings to the 1960s in order to achieve their political goals. According to Butter, these official conspiracy theories are based on a particular conception of causality : it is believed that all events were the result of deliberate actions by individuals or a few. In addition, these government theories were rooted in the "ideology of republicanism" and beyond that in Puritanism .

Butter first works out a historical typology (Chapter 1) and then examines in Chapter 2 the witch's madness fueled by the authorities in Salem . He describes it as a “metaphysical Puritan conspiracy theory” and examines how delusion stabilized and destabilized society at the same time.

In Chapter 3 Butter deals with the government theory of a conspiracy by the Catholics from the first half of the 19th century, in Chapter 4 the theory of the abolitionists , the "Black Republicans" and the idea of ​​a conspiracy of the slave owners by the Abraham Lincoln government was spread.

Chapter 5 depicts anti-communism in the 1950s. The idea of ​​a communist conspiracy was officially promoted by the US government through the Anti-American Activities Authority . In Butter's view, neither the victory of the American colonies in the War of Independence nor the victory of the Northern States in the Civil War were possible without theories of opposing conspiracies and were therefore officially represented by the governments and disseminated among the population.

The first disqualification and stigmatization of conspiracy theories as unscientific pseudo theories arose, in Butter's opinion, only in the 1960s: Conspiracy theories that had been spread by the government had disappeared, and instead new theories that were considered subversive and that had conspiratorial intentions against the government itself Subordinate population. These theories critical of the government have been stigmatized by the government as frivolous and unscientific.

review

In his treatise on conspiracy, practice, theory in the Zeitschrift für Anomalistik , the Austrian sociologist Alan Schink judges that Butter's study is worth reading and rich in detail, but also makes clear the limits of an abstract cultural-historical debate. Butter emphasized formal ideological aspects of conspiracy thinking (“belief in conspiracy”, “evil agents”). These abstract, general criteria are inadequate to delimit actual conspiracies in terms of security policy and in practice: With these characteristics, he cannot exclude the possibility of real government conspiracies in principle.

With Butter, the dimensions and implications of real politics went under because he did not understand what “conspiracy practice” meant. Schink, who calls for a science of conspiracy practice (conspirology), sees their specific characteristics in practices of concealment, deception , lies and a complementary attitude of mistrust .

The Washington Code, 2016

In this essay, Butter examines the heroic myth portrayed by American presidents from George Washington to Abraham Lincoln. Using over 2000 poems and songs, he examines how these were systematically and strategically heroized . His main finding is that with the heroic image of George Washington, a model of republican heroism has been created that was precisely tailored to the specific political challenges of the historical situation of the Revolutionary War. The linguistic means that were used for this can, in his opinion, be described as a special code of a language of the heroic, the Washington Code , which was used again and again in the period that followed up to the civil war to make the following presidents heroes or new Washington to stage. It was only with Lincoln that the methodology and style of heroization changed.

Nothing is what it seems 2018

Butter, in his 2018 book, Nothing Is As It Seems, analyzes the general characteristics and mechanisms of conspiracy theories.

In their socialnet review, Dorothee Riese and Johannes M. Kies sum up the five chapters of his book, each of which represents one aspect of the topic: In the first chapter, conspiracy theories are classified as those from above (government) or below (population), inside (domestic) or outside (abroad). Butter also differentiates between real theories of conspiracy (limited spatial and temporal scope, manageable group of perpetrators, e.g. Watergate ) from unreal conspiracy theories (temporally and spatially all-encompassing, unmanageable group of responsible persons).

In the second chapter, Butter examines methods that serve to convey a semblance of seriousness and presents financial interests as a common motive behind the formation and dissemination of theories. Chapter three examines the motives of people wanting to believe in conspiracy theories: feelings of inferiority , group cohesion and identity formation . The basis is often a very traditional worldview that does not understand the complexity of the modern world and continues to be based on the importance of individual actors and their intentions. In the last two chapters, the historical development will be traced and the importance of the Internet presented. Butter recommends historical literacy, media literacy and social literacy as measures to protect against conspiracy theories .

Action COMPACT

Goal setting

The EU research project ( action ) COMPACT is about systematic research on the origin and mode of action of conspiracy theories as well as possible, if necessary, measures. The project aims to develop an interdisciplinary and international network to enable a comprehensive understanding of conspiracy theories in different European countries, especially since conspiracy theories can intensify extremism in different regions and tensions between countries. The erosion of trust in democratic institutions and bodies is also mentioned. The better understanding of the conspiracy theories should help "in close cooperation with the stakeholders" to develop more effective measures, including workshops with journalists, politicians and teachers.

Butter is the vice-chair of the project, which is led by Peter Knight . It should be completed in 2020. 34 countries take part in the project, plus Russia and Georgia as “near-neighboring countries”.

Guide to conspiracy theories

In April 2020, COST published a “conspiracy guide” that Action COMPACT developed under the direction of Knight and Butter. This clarifies basic terminology to make conspiracy theories understandable and gives recommendations on how to combat them. A complete version of the recommendations can be found in the “Conspiracy Theory Handbook” by Stephan Lewandowsky and John Cook , which, like the guide, is freely available.

Once defined, the guide clarifies the difference to fake news , examining whether they were invented by the CIA, how they work and how they differ from real conspiracies. In the following chapters 6 to 9, the authors describe who believes in conspiracy theories and why, how they developed historically and what effect the Internet had on them. Chapters 10 and 11 present the danger and the connection with populism.

The recommendations first explain what the challenge of conspiracy theories is. The first step in the fight is the realization that they are not irrational, but politically motivated. It is recommended to contain the spread, to “vaccinate” people against it and to expose conspiracy theories. The population must also be protected from them. In the case of convinced conspiracy theorists, however, all these measures fail because they only retreat further into their “conspiratorial echo chamber”. In the last chapter of the measure part, the findings are presented that have been gained from “deradicalization programs” so far: Conspiracy theories as an “indispensable component of political extremism” could in the best case be through the use of “dropouts”, a sensitive approach, reinforcement of the fundamentally critical attitude and through an approach rendered harmless to political goals.

Project manager "PACT"

The ERC- funded “Populism and Conspiracy Theory (PACT)” project aims to explore the significance of conspiracy theories for populist movements. The focus is on four European countries (Austria, Hungary, Poland, Italy) and two countries in the American double continent (USA and Brazil). The subject of investigation will primarily be right-wing and left- wing populism during the 2020 presidential election campaigns.

Analysis of individual conspiracy theories

With regard to the corona crisis, Butter takes the view that most conspiracy theories in connection with the corona pandemic are usually only the "last chapter in the conspiracy narrative". The main villains were already clear beforehand.

Publications (selection)

  • With Peter Knight: The Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories. London: Routledge, 2020.
  • With Peter Knight: General Introduction . In: The Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories. London: Routledge, 2020. 1-8.
  • With Peter Knight: Conspiracy Theory in Historical, Cultural and Literary Studies . In: The Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories. London: Routledge, 2020. 28-42.
  • With Eiríkur Bergmann: Conspiracy Theory and Populism. In: The Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories. t. London: Routledge, 2020. 330-43.
  • Conspiracy Theories in Films and Television Shows . In: The Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories. London: Routledge, 2020. 457-68.
  • Conspiracy Theories in American History . In: The Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories. London: Routledge, 2020. 648-59.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Südwest Presse Online-Dienst GmbH: Lecture: Who believes in conspiracy theories and why? May 12, 2019, accessed May 16, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b c Prof. Dr. Michael Butter. Retrieved December 22, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Prof. Dr. Michael Butter. Retrieved December 22, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Profile on the website of the COMPACT project
  5. ↑ Petra Rau: Our Nazis: Representations of Fascism in Contemporary Literature and Film: Representations of Fascism in Contemporary Literature and Film . Edinburgh University Press, 2013, ISBN 978-0-7486-6865-6 , pp. 2–12 ( com.ph [accessed on December 22, 2018]): "... vehicle for working through historical crises of imperialist self-confidence and doubts about its democratic mission as in the Vietnam War and the war on terror .. .. "
  6. ↑ Ina Bergmann, Michael Butter. The Epitome of Evil: Hitler in American Fiction, 1939–2002. In: Amerikastudien / American Studies: A Quarterly 57.1 (2012), pp. 139–42.
  7. ^ FRIAS Book Series "linguae & litterae" - Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies - FRIAS. Retrieved December 21, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Alan Schink: Review of: Michael Butter: Plots, Designs, and Schemes: American Conspiracy Theories from the Puritans to the Present . In: Zeitschrift für Anomalistik 15 (2015), No. 1 and 2, pp. 194–200.
  9. ↑ Alan Schink: Conspiracy, Practice, Theory. Building blocks of a conspirology. In: Zeitschrift für Anomalistik 16 (2016), No. 3, pp. 370–418.
  10. ^ Michael Butter: The "Washington Code" - Wallstein Verlag. Retrieved December 22, 2018 .
  11. ↑ Dorothee Riese / Johannes M. Kiess: Michael Butter: "Nothing is as it seems" (conspiracy theories) . In: socialnet reviews , ISSN  2190-9245 , June 14, 2018, accessed October 19, 2018.
  12. ↑ Home. Retrieved December 22, 2018 (American English).
  13. ↑ Action CA15101. Retrieved December 22, 2018 (American English).
  14. ↑ https://conspiracytheories.eu/_wpx/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2016_01-CA15101-MCM1_Minutes_final.pdf
  15. ^ Publications. Retrieved December 22, 2018 (American English).
  16. ↑ Home. Retrieved December 22, 2018 (American English).
  17. ^ The Conspiracy Theory Handbook. In: Center For Climate Change Communication. March 18, 2020, accessed May 29, 2020 (American English).
  18. ↑ https://conspiracytheories.eu/_wpx/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/COMPACT_Guide_Deutsch-2.pdf
  19. ↑ PACT. Retrieved May 14, 2020 (American English).
  20. ↑ Prof. Dr. Michael Butter | University of Tübingen. Retrieved May 14, 2020 .
  21. ↑ Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com): Latest conspiracy theories repeat old stories | DW | May 29, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020 (British English, "Most of the corona conspiracies, no matter which version and wherever they are virulent all over the world, is usually only the latest chapter in a much larger and longer conspiracy narrative , "says Butter." So the villains to a certain degree were already clear. ").
personal data
SURNAME Butter, Michael
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Americanist
DATE OF BIRTH May 26, 1977
PLACE OF BIRTH Munich