Bethan Juliet Oake

I previously undertook both my BA (Hons) and MA in Theology & Religious Studies at the University of Leeds. My dissertations focused on Contemporary Paganism and Nonreligion.

I began my PhD in October 2021, with funding through the AHRC via White Rose College of the Arts and Humanities.

My current project explores contemporary Satanic Cult Conspiracy theory discourse online - conspiracy theory narratives that claims the existence of secret, Satan-worshipping cults who seek to morally subvert society. Satanic cult legends can be traced back to the 11th century, frequently resurfacing on and off throughout history to the present day – most recently, during the (predominantly) American ‘Satanic Panic’ of the 1980s. Today its rhetoric has again re-emerged, now intertwining itself within a far more diverse range of conspiracy narratives and religio-spiritual frameworks. My project analyses the current landscape of this discourse online, and its relationship to moral panic.

Research interests
Conspiracy theories
Contemporary Occultism
Online Religion
Cults and New Religious Movements
Nonreligious Identity