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Des théories du complot aux rumeurs ordinaires

The medialab will host Frédéric Keck at its next seminar for a presentation titled : "From conspiracy theories to everyday rumors : biosecurity and food security in China and Russia"

Seminar

Summary

Between 2020 and 2022, accusations were made by states involving China, Russia, and the United States concerning pathogens escaping accidentally or intentionally from laboratories that do not comply with international biosecurity standards. We analyze these accusations within the history of international relations surrounding biological weapons programs in the twentieth century. We then study how these accusations, which take the form of conspiracy theories when stated by governments, are circulated as rumors by ordinary citizens. The material analyzed consists of a set of quantitative and qualitative data collected on social media and in the field in Russia and China over the past five years. The results of these analyses allow us to propose a hypothesis about the organization of public space based on the history of relations between the state and nature in these two territories.

Biography

Frédéric Keck is a research director at the Laboratory of Social Anthropology. He initially studied philosophy at the École Normale Supérieure and anthropology at the University of California, before joining the CNRS in 2005. He conducts research and ethnographic surveys on health crises and food risks related to animal diseases. Frédéric Keck received the CNRS Bronze Medal in 2011. He led the research and education department of the Musée du Quai Branly from 2014 to 2018, and has been directing the Laboratory of Social Anthropology since 2019.