Nova Religio

Magazine Overview

Title: Nova Religio
Issue: Volume 20, Issue 4
Date: 2017
Publisher: University of California Press
Country: United States
Language: English
ISSN: 1541-3745

Review of "UFOs, Conspiracy Theories and the New Age" by David G. Robertson

This section reviews David G. Robertson's book, "UFOs, Conspiracy Theories and the New Age," published by Bloomsbury Academic in 2016. The book, comprising 246 pages, is available in cloth, paper, and ebook formats, with the paper edition priced at $35.96.

A New Perspective on UFOs

David G. Robertson's book offers a novel perspective on the significance of UFOs in the Anglophone world and the diverse meanings these symbolically resonant objects have acquired in the post-Cold War era. Employing discourse analysis, Robertson examines the UFO as a "discursive object" that gains specific meanings within both New Age (or, as he prefers, popular millennialist) and conspiracy theory milieus. He posits that as individuals engaged with popular millennialism became interested in UFOs, they encountered conspiracist material, leading to the emergence of a new genre he terms "millennial conspiracism."

The book is described as a simultaneous genealogy of UFO narratives, a history of the shift from the optimism of the 1960s New Age to a darker form of millennialism, and an examination of three prominent proponents of millennial conspiracism. It serves as an instructive example of the social constructionist approach within religious studies.

The UFO in Millennial Conspiracism

Robertson argues that the UFO is a key element in the discourse of millennial conspiracism because it represents the shifting frontier between scientific knowledge and more subjective ways of knowing. This discourse merges the conspiracist focus on the malevolent influence of hidden agencies (such as the Illuminati, New World Order, or reptilian extraterrestrials) with more positive themes of personal and planetary transformation drawn from popular millennial narratives. The latter half of the book traces the development of this evolving discourse over time, using the works of Whitley Strieber, David Icke, and David Wilcock as evidence. These authors' claims draw on epistemologies that are often stigmatized by established religious and scientific authorities.

Discourse Analysis and Epistemic Capital

Robertson's use of discourse analysis and his focus on the epistemological foundations and "epistemic capital" associated with different kinds of discourse distinguish his book from other literature on extraterrestrial contact, alien abduction narratives, ufoism, and UFO religions. The book is particularly aimed at scholars in religious studies, Robertson's own discipline, and offers a model for alternative approaches applicable in many other contexts. By focusing on discourse and epistemology, rather than problematic analytical categories like "belief," Robertson suggests scholars can more easily consider the functional similarities between "religious" discourses and those of "nationalism," "political ideology," and so forth. From this perspective, conspiracy theories, UFO narratives, and popular millennial literature spring from the same source and serve the same social functions as narratives deemed "religious," differing primarily in their lack of authoritative status or "epistemic capital."

Theoretical Framework and Key Concepts

Robertson's approach, while potentially complex, is handled with grace and economy of style. He incorporates discussions of theoretical foundations, such as Bourdieu's concept of habitus and Foucault's understanding of power, in a way that is edifying without being overwhelming. The book's first three chapters focus on methodological and theoretical issues, while later chapters provide more description and ethnographical observations. Chapter 1 outlines the book's organizing themes, and Chapter 2 delves into the method of discourse analysis and defines key concepts. This chapter is considered the methodological heart of the book, where Robertson articulates his contribution to religious studies. It concludes with an overview of five epistemic strategies or knowledge systems used in contemporary Anglophone culture: tradition, science, experiential, synthetic, and channeling. These strategies sanction particular ways of knowing and produce different types of knowledge, each with varying degrees of authority. Millennial conspiracism, while drawing on all five, tends to privilege the experiential, synthetic, and channeling strategies, which Robertson classifies as counter-epistemic due to their high degree of subjectivity.

Historical Context and Evolution of UFO Concepts

Chapter 3 examines the shifting significance of UFOs across different discourses, charting their conceptual transformations in relation to military, political, and historical contexts. This includes the post-World War II era, the Cold War and McCarthyism, the 1950s space race, and the social transformations of the late 1960s. Robertson details the shift from a physicalist understanding of UFOs as military weapons or spacecraft to more spiritualist interpretations grounded in Theosophy and its offshoots. By the mid-1980s, UFOs were increasingly viewed through either a conspiracist lens of government secrecy or a popular millennial lens of benevolent spiritual transformation.

Case Studies: Strieber, Icke, and Wilcock

Chapters 4, 5, and 6 focus on Whitley Strieber, David Icke, and David Wilcock, individuals who have built their reputations by operating at the margins between scientific and subjective ways of knowing. The reviewer notes that while these chapters offer biographical and ethnographic information, the book's larger thesis can sometimes get lost in this detail. However, a final chapter brings the threads of the argument together. Robertson concludes that what unites these authors and millennial conspiracist discourse generally is an appeal to alternative sources of knowledge gained through direct contact with supernatural beings or forces. He posits that millennial conspiracist epistemology is characterized by "a broadened conception of what counts as knowledge," with the UFO serving as the "perfect symbol" of this counter-epistemic epistemology, suggesting that science and tradition alone are insufficient to explain the "discursive object."

Methodological Agnosticism and Critical Rigor

The struggle to gain epistemic capital from institutional authorities, or to mobilize counter-epistemic strategies, is presented as a unifying factor for various fringe movements. Robertson's model of discourse analysis offers religious studies scholars a productive way to account for these movements while avoiding definitional debates and boundary policing. The book exemplifies "methodological agnosticism," which is critical for the comparative project of religious studies, demanding that scholars treat all claims about supernatural agents as equally suspect, regardless of their source. With its concise prose and engaging style, Robertson's book is lauded as a compelling analysis of contemporary millennialism and a model of critical rigor.

Review of "Reincarnation in America: An Esoteric History" by Lee Irwin

This section also briefly mentions Lee Irwin's book, "Reincarnation in America: An Esoteric History," published by Lexington Books in 2017. The book is described as large, engrossing, and informative, with 474 pages and a cloth price of $130.00. Irwin's stated aim is not to prove or disprove reincarnation theories but to investigate their effect on believers and communities, exploring how these beliefs contribute to spiritual development.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The primary theme of the reviewed book, "UFOs, Conspiracy Theories and the New Age," is the social construction of meaning around UFO phenomena within millennial and conspiracist discourses. The magazine, "Nova Religio," appears to focus on the academic study of religion, particularly new religious movements and alternative spiritualities, as evidenced by its publication of scholarly reviews and its interest in methodologies like discourse analysis and the study of "epistemic capital."