Political Rumors: A Turn from Reductionist Concepts to a Synthesis of Political, Cultural and Communicative Dimensions

This paper critically analyzes the evolution of theoretical approaches to the phenomenon of political rumors. Overcoming the positivist paradigm, which viewed rumors as social pathology and a distortion of objective facts, the author examines political rumors as a complex process of collective meaning production. The paper reveals the role of rumors as a form of hidden political action and an act of political participation under conditions of uncertainty. The author concludes that reductionist research approaches are incapable of explaining the complex nature of political rumors adequately and emphasizes the need to expand the scope of political rumor research by incorporating a cultural dimension.