The Conspiratorial Milieu in Serbia: Narratives, Distrust and Interpretations of Social Reality

Abstract

This article examines conspiracy theories in Serbia as a structured cultural and discursive formation rather than as marginal or pathological beliefs. Drawing on anthropological and folkloristic approaches, conspiratorial narratives are conceptualized as forms of stigmatized knowledge that function as interpretative frameworks through which social actors make sense of uncertainty, power relations, and institutional distrust. The analysis adopts the concept of the conspiratorial milieu, defined as a dynamic configuration of actors, media infrastructures, and interpretative practices within which such narratives are produced, circulated, and legitimized. Methodologically, the study is based on a qualitative analysis of a heterogeneous corpus of media texts, popular publications, and digital content produced in Serbia from the beginning of the new millennium to the present. Building on Michael Barkun’s typology, it demonstrates that conspiratorial narratives operate along a continuum ranging from event-based explanations to systemic and superconspiratorial frameworks, thereby enabling the expansion and stabilization of broader worldviews. The Serbian case shows that conspiracy theories are not confined to the social margins but circulate across the porous boundaries between alternative and mainstream discourse. The article argues that the analytical relevance of conspiracy theories lies not in their truth-value but in their capacity to articulate competing regimes of knowledge and to mediate contemporary transformations in the relationship between media, power and social meaning.