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%T The politics of paranoia: paranoid positioning and conspiratorial narratives in the surveillance society %A Harper, David %J Surveillance & Society %N 1 %P 1-32 %V 5 %D 2008 %K Paranoia; surveillance; surveillance studies; conspiracy theory; paranoia culture %= 2011-05-09T14:48:00Z %~ University of East London %> https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-64434 %U http://www.surveillance-and-society.org/articles5(1)/paranoia.pdf %X The notion of paranoia is often implicitly reproduced in the work of surveillance researchers. However, in this article I will argue that this notion needs to be interrogated since current conceptions of paranoia are inherently dualistic: viewing paranoia solely at an individual or intra-psychic level; or, alternatively solely at a societal level. Inevitably, either perspective is limited. Here I will attempt to break down this dichotomy by, firstly, drawing on the notion of discursive positioning to: analyse the cultural discourses which "produce" paranoia; examine how subjects (i.e. individuals, communities, societies etc.) become positioned by others as paranoid; and explore the effects of such positioning. Secondly, I will investigate the discursive positions through which people may position themselves as paranoid and describe some of the effects of such positioning. I conclude by drawing out some implications of a more nuanced view of paranoia for the field of surveillance studies. %C GBR %G en %9 journal article %W GESIS - http://www.gesis.org %~ SSOAR - http://www.ssoar.info