Conspiracy theory and conspiracy practice: a novel and exegesis

Practice-led research is a research methodology that generates scholarly knowledge through artistic practice. This thesis uses that methodology to provide an insider's perspective on the neglected social psychology of popular fiction production. Considerable support is found for the hypothesis that there are similarities in the production and functioning of conspiracy theories and conspiracy thrillers that are predicted by the social identity approach to social psychology. In particular, the writers in spy novel sub-genres behave as social groups that assemble in response to a threat and behave in conformity with norms that include, but are not limited to, genre conventions.