Does anti-conspiracy believe in its own myths? The fight against conspiracy in testing its own implementation

This article looks at the fight against conspiracies in France today, based on a field study of an educational programme. The aim is to gain a better understanding of how the identification of cases considered to be of concern is organised. It begins by showing what the robustness of the targeting system in place owes to a set of narratives that legitimise the social engineering deployed for this purpose. It then points to the depoliticising effects of the uses made of the system by those working on the ground. Finally, the article qualifies this interpretation by noting the critical distance maintained from such useful fictions.