What happens when traditional forms of authority collapse and the shared language that once held society together begins to unravel? In his newly published book, Post-Weird: Fragmentation, Community, and the Decline of the Mainstream, Calum Matheson, Chair of the Department of Communication, takes readers inside the spaces where meaning fractures and new communities emerge.
From pro-anorexia forums and conspiracy theorists to incels and Appalachian snake-handlers, Matheson examines how these groups interpret language and symbols in ways that defy conventional norms. Whether through sacred texts or viral videos, these communities insist that their signs reveal hidden truths, creating alternative worlds when mainstream authority fades.
Described as “an ambitious look at rhetoric and psychosis,” Post-Weird explores the social functions of language in fringe cultures and rethinks concepts like irony, propriety, and normalcy in what Matheson calls “weird times.”
About the Book
American society seems fractured. From neo-Nazism to occultism to conspiracy thinking, beliefs that were once taboo are now openly shared. In Post-Weird, Matheson asks how splinter communities form in today’s media environment, what keeps them together, and what they build from the ruins of shared language.
He examines groups that have departed the mainstream such as Sandy Hook deniers, Appalachian serpent handlers, pro-anorexia bloggers, incels, transvestigators, pseudoscientific reactionaries, and more—and finds unexpected similarities among their differences. Central to these communities is the belief that their symbols represent a hidden truth that cannot be questioned or interpreted but is revealed through signs—words, images, videos, and texts. By documenting American fringe cultures, extremism, and the social functions of language, this book rethinks what it means to be “normal” in weird times.
Calum Matheson is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication and faculty at the Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Institute. He is the author of Desiring the Bomb: Communication, Psychoanalysis, and the Atomic Age, which explored post-apocalyptic fantasies, simulations, games, and literature about nuclear war and the end of the world. In Post-Weird, Matheson continues his investigation into survivalist and fringe cultures, drawing on media studies, rhetoric, psychoanalysis, and cultural studies.
Post-Weird is available at a 30% discount with the code RUP30.