Dr. Wertham’s successful campaign to prohibit certain comics in the U.S. largely relied on mental manipulation theories.
Massimo Introvigne
When Even Comics Were Accused of “Brainwashing”– Part I
Crusades to ban a literature accused of “brainwashing the masses” show how far faulty theories of mental manipulation could go.
Wiley Medical Journal Accused of Publishing Racist CCP Papers
“Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine” was hit by a mass resignation of its board members after publishing Chinese articles on Tibetans and Uyghurs.
Are “Brainwashing” Theories Coming Back?
Discredited since the 1990s, theories that “cults” use mind control techniques are still promoted by anti-cultists, and now applied to QAnon and Trump.
Mongolia, the Forgotten Genocide: Part II
The horrific extermination of Buddhist monks in Mongolia should be remembered and studied to understand other Communist attempts at eradicating religion.
The Fall of “Brainwashing” Theories in the Late Twentieth Century
Scholars of new religious movements succeeded in marginalizing mind control theories applied to religion. U.S. courts of law said they were right.
Mongolia, the Forgotten Genocide: Part I
To understand what Communism does to independent Buddhist societies, we should remember what it did to Mongolian Buddhism in the 1930s.
How “Brainwashing” Theories Were Applied to Religion
Originally, Russian and Chinese Communists were accused of using mind control techniques. Some mental health professionals extended the accusation to religions.
Testing “Brainwashing” Theories: CIA and the MK-Ultra Experiment
Having invented the theory, the CIA believed its own propaganda and tried to “brainwash” “volunteers” in Canada. It did not work.
Xi Jinping’s “Common Prosperity”: Back to Socialism
“Socialism” is in, “Enrich yourselves” is out. Where did we hear this before? Chinese “capitalists” may learn some lessons from Bukharin.
Massimo Introvigne
Massimo Introvigne (born June 14, 1955 in Rome) is an Italian sociologist of religions. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), an international network of scholars who study new religious movements. Introvigne is the author of some 70 books and more than 100 articles in the field of sociology of religion. He was the main author of the Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia (Encyclopedia of Religions in Italy). He is a member of the editorial board for the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion and of the executive board of University of California Press' Nova Religio. From January 5 to December 31, 2011, he has served as the "Representative on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination, with a special focus on discrimination against Christians and members of other religions" of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). From 2012 to 2015 he served as chairperson of the Observatory of Religious Liberty, instituted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to monitor problems of religious liberty on a worldwide scale.