Samenvatting

During the corona pandemic right-wing sympathizers, conspiracy theorists and various kinds of spiritually minded people (such as New Ager’s, yoga teachers, reiki coaches, and holistic healers) came together to oppose the governmental mitigation measures. This unusual sight surprised many commentators: how do these radically different groups, leaning from the progressive to the conservative, come so easily together in one social movement? Answers are found in the concept of “conspirituality”: a new social movement fusing “hard male” conspiracy theories with “soft female” spirituality. While there are indeed remarkable similarities in the ideologies of these different groups, most notably their anti-institutionalism, this does not mean that their confluence is uncontested from within both groups. In this essay, I show both their similarities and conflicts to argue that it is hard to speak about a real social movement, but instead we should focus on their shared affinities which, under the right circumstances, can unite these opposed groups. But this is far from a stable coalition.