diagonalism

Etymology

From diagonal + -ism, based on German Querdenken (literally “diagonal thinking”). Coined by Canadian historian and professor Quinn Slobodian and political scientist William Callison in the context of the German Querdenker (“anti-vaxx”) movement during the COVID-19 pandemic, see quotations.

noun

  1. The coming together of antagonistic groups around one issue on which they find common ground, for instance the rejection of vaccination.“Diagonalism reminds us that universal Internet access, the attention-absorbing power of social media platforms, and the dynamics of “incitement capitalism” have left the state’s official script ragged with perforations and made space for hostile counterpublics, agents of “disinfotainment,” social movements of rabbit holes, gig conspiracies for the gig economy.”