Newsletters

Laboratory of International Political and Legal Studies
Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies
University of Macedonia

Thessaloniki 12/02/2026

What Are They Hiding from Us?”: Dialogues on Conspiracy Theories"

Following a particularly fruitful year, such as the previous one, the seminar series entitled “What Are They Hiding from Us?”: Dialogues on Conspiracy Theories continues this year with renewed interest and expanded thematic focus.
What Are They Hiding from Us?”: Dialogues on Conspiracy Theories, organized by the…
organized by the POLIS Laboratory of International, Political and Legal Studies, Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies.
Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies at the University of Macedonia is back for a new cycle!
During the forthcoming spring semester, this initiative will further examine the phenomenon of…
conspiracy theories, adopting a critical and interdisciplinary perspective, with
with the aim of contributing to the wider academic and social
dialogue.
Having covered a range of different aspects related to the development of theories
of conspiracy, for example through the lens of media studies or social anthropology, this year’s
the structure of the seminars aims once again to serve as an open platform for dialogue
providing a platform for field experts, alongside early-career researchers generating
research related to this topic, as well as studies examining the phenomenon of
conspiracy theories. The seminars, however, are not confined to a single lecture
related topics, yet they aim to shed light on issues that pertain, in part, to
discussion but tend to attract less attention.
Following last year, the structure of the seminar series is based both on
dialogue among the invited participants as well as discussion with the audience, thus constituting
an open workshop for critical thinking and exchange of ideas. This year’s continuation
yet simultaneously serves as preparation for the future. Given that the aim of the
the research team’s objectives further include harmonizing with the ongoing international debate and
the broader research perspective of the Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental
Studies of the University of Macedonia, the themes selected for the spring
academic semester seek to examine, to the fullest extent possible, the limits of the national
of dialogue, the directions of research, and scholarly reflexivity concerning
the phenomenon of conspiracy theories. In other words,before we direct our focus to the
the rest of the world, what we aim for is a deeper understanding of the topic through
the local experience

Under the supervision of the Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor of the Department
of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies at the University of Macedonia, Leonidas
Karakatsani, together with the postdoctoral researcher of the same department, Grigoris Markou
in collaboration with a team of early-career researchers (Georgia Rina, Postdoctoral Fellow
researcher, Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies, University of Macedonia, Katerina
Pseniskov, PhD candidate, Department of Political Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Dimitris Tsirimpas,
PhD candidate, Department of Political Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Konstantina Kastoriadou,
a master’s student in International Politics at KU Leuven), the seminars are conducted once
monthly (Thursday afternoons) via online sessions, each lasting approximately two hours. The
project constitutes a non-funded (voluntary) initiative, open to all participants.
As in the previous year, at each session, a guest speaker
researcher, author, or scholar – introduces and discusses aspects of the relevant field
thereby fostering a constructive dialogue with the audience, providing them the opportunity to share
their reflections, raise questions, and actively engage in the discussion of the topic.
With regard to the activities planned for this academic year, in the first seminar to be
scheduled for March 5, 2026, at 19:00 via online session, Manolis Pleionis
(Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) and Iosif Chalavazis (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens) will engage in a seminar entitled: “The…
Conspiracy Theories Under the Microscope: A Discussion Inspired by “Pseudosciences and Theories
Conspiracy Theories.” The event will be moderated by Katerina Pseniskov (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), while in the
the second session, scheduled for April 2, 2026, at 19:00 via online session, will feature
Dimitris Lenis will give a presentation titled “Conspiracy Theories as a Modern
State Ideology,” moderated by Dimitris Tsirimpas (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki).
Pre-registration is necessary to participate in the events, so that the
link. Furthermore, upon registering, participants will receive, following the conclusion of the seminars, a…
newsletter summarizing the key points of the previous
of the presentation and discussion. Lastly, the seminars are uploaded to the Laboratory’s official channel
on YouTube.
Administrative details (e.g., registration form, content of the presentation)
regarding the first two seminars, as well as the schedule of upcoming seminars
months will be communicated shortly via the Laboratory’s established communication channels
of the team

For further details, please visit: https://dialoguesconsp.wixsite.com/dialoguesconspiracy
Facebook: “What Are They Hiding?: Dialogues on Conspiracy Theories.” For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/POLISLab