This book provides an empirical analysis, mapping, and assessment of Canadian right‑wing extremist (RWE) groups and their conspiracy theories.
While the majority of studies on RWE groups focus on American and European actors, this book critically examines conspiracies disseminated by Canadian actors on different online sites and social media platforms. The authors deploy a mapping metaphor to chart the conspiratorial ideas that RWE groups create and share online. The book also examines the infrastructural terrain that supports mainstream and alternative platforms and the dark monetization structures that act as important conduits for this negative messaging. Theoretically, the study is situated within the concepts of dark social movements where dark participation on dark platforms often occurs. A conceptualization of conspiracy theories is developed by exploring four specific aspects: (1) topics, (2) targets, (3) concerns, and (4) actors. This concept is operationalized by applying it to BitChute and Telegram. The book also offers a historical understanding of different RWE groups and their ideological positions. In addition, it provides an empirical investigation of Google’s autocomplete feature, Amazon books, the Dark Web, and several other alternative social media sites.
It will be of interest to researchers of Canadian politics, conspiracy theories, and the far‑right.
Ahmed Al‑Rawi is an Associate Professor of News, Social Media, and Public Communication in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University, Canada. He is also the founder of the Disinformation Project, and his research interests are related to news, global communication, misinformation, and social media with emphasis on Canada and the Middle East. Al‑Rawi is also a founding member of the Media & Digital Literacy Academy in Beirut.
Carmen Celestini is a Lecturer in the Religious Studies Department at the University of Waterloo, Canada. She has previously been a Postdoctoral Fellow at Queen’s University, School of Religion and with the Disinformation Project at Simon Fraser University, and with the Centre on Hate, Bias, and Extremism. As a multi‑disciplinary scholar, her research encompasses the overlapping belief systems of apocalyptic thought and conspiracy theories and the impact of these beliefs on politics in North America, extremism, Christian nationalism, hate, disinformation, and violence.
Nicole K. Stewart is an Assistant Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University in Austin, USA, and formerly a researcher with the Disinformation Project at Simon Fraser University. Her research interests explore the social formations that emerge with the assemblage of publics and platforms.
Joseph M. Nicolaï is a PhD candidate in Communication and a Research Assistant with the Disinformation Project at Simon Fraser University, Canada. He is interested in questions of public participation and expertise, the social life of methods, and misinformation‑related issues. His PhD thesis examines Canadian news reporting on vaccine hesitancy.
Nathan Worku is a Master of Public Health student at Simon Fraser University, Canada, where he worked with SFU’s Disinformation Project as a research assistant. His research interests include health equity, health communication, and knowledge translation.
