Jason Colavito

Last updated
Jason Colavito
OccupationAuthor
EducationBachelor of Arts
Alma mater Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York
Notable worksThe Cult of Alien Gods: H.P. Lovecraft And Extraterrestrial Pop Culture
Website
jasoncolavito.com

Jason Colavito (born 1981) is an American author and independent scholar specializing in the study of fringe theories particularly around ancient history and extraterrestrials. Colavito has written a number of books, including The Cult of Alien Gods (2005), The Mound Builder Myth (2020), and Legends of the Pyramids (2021).

Contents

Biography

Colavito attended Auburn High School, in Auburn, New York, and graduated summa cum laude from Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, where he received a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology and journalism in 2003. [1] [2]

Colavito's work has largely focused on debunking "alternative archaeology". [3] His work has been cited in by John Kelly in a The Washington Post opinion column [4] , by Stephen Winick and Firas Al-Atraqchi in The Huffington Post opinion pieces, [5] [6] and other publications, as well as on the History Channel. [1] [7]

In 2005, Colavito authored The Cult of Alien Gods: H. P. Lovecraft and Extraterrestrial Pop Culture, published by Prometheus Books. In the book, Colavito explores the influences of H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos on the popular works of Erich von Däniken (author of Chariots of the Gods? ) and Graham Hancock, as well as its overall influence on "extraterrestrial pop culture". [8]

In 2008 Colavito's The Science of Horror, the Horror of Science was published. The book examined the history and science of the horror genre with a particular focus on providing a broad overview and introduction to the subject. A reviewer in the Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts concluded "Academia aside, this is among the finest introductions to the horror genre I have read." and commends his epistemological approach to analyzing the genre. [9]

In 2018 the SPLC referred to Colavito as an independent scholar with an expertise in the convergence of fringe theories with contemporary politics. [10]

In 2021, Colavito published articles regarding UFOs in Slate and The New Republic. [11] [12] [13] He was also interviewed for an article in Slate about the links between ancient aliens conspiracies and contemporary right-wing conspiracies like QAnon. [14]

Publishing

According to his website, Colavito offers out-of-print works about alternative history, the occult, and speculative fiction through his print on demand business JasonColavito.com Books. [15]

Bibliography

His work has appeared in publications such as The New Republic , Slate , Esquire Magazine [16] and Skeptic magazine. [3] [1] [17] [18] [19]

Books (as author)
Books (as editor)
Books (as translator)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unidentified flying object</span> Unusual phenomenon in the sky that is not readily identifiable

An unidentified flying object (UFO), or unexplained anomalous phenomenon (UAP), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. Upon investigation, most UFOs are identified as known objects or atmospheric phenomena, while a small number remain unexplained.

UFO conspiracy theories are a subset of conspiracy theories which argue that various governments and politicians globally, in particular the United States Government, are suppressing evidence that unidentified flying objects are controlled by a non-human intelligence or built using alien technology. Such conspiracy theories usually argue that Earth governments are in communication or cooperation with extraterrestrial visitors despite public disclaimers, and further that some of these theories claim that the governments are explicitly allowing alien abduction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erich von Däniken</span> Swiss writer (born 1935)

Erich Anton Paul von Däniken is a Swiss author of several books which make claims about extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, including the best-selling Chariots of the Gods?, published in 1968. Von Däniken is one of the main figures responsible for popularizing the "paleo-contact" and ancient astronauts hypotheses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient astronauts</span> Pseudoscientific claims of past alien contact

Ancient astronauts refer to a pseudoscientific hypothesis which holds that intelligent extraterrestrial beings visited Earth and made contact with humans in antiquity and prehistoric times. Proponents suggest that this contact influenced the development of modern cultures, technologies, religions, and human biology. A common position is that deities from most, if not all, religions are extraterrestrial in origin, and that advanced technologies brought to Earth by ancient astronauts were interpreted as evidence of divine status by early humans.

<i>Chariots of the Gods?</i> 1968 book by Erich von Däniken

Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past is a book written in 1968 by Erich von Däniken and translated from the original German by Michael Heron. It involves the hypothesis that the technologies and religions of many ancient civilizations were given to them by ancient astronauts who were welcomed as gods.

The extraterrestrial hypothesis (ETH) proposes that some unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are best explained as being physical spacecraft occupied by extraterrestrial intelligence or non-human aliens, or non-occupied alien probes from other planets visiting Earth.

In ufology, the psychosocial hypothesis, abbreviated PSH, argues that at least some UFO reports are best explained by psychological or social means. It is often contrasted with the better-known extraterrestrial hypothesis (ETH), and is particularly popular among UFO researchers in the United Kingdom, such as David Clarke, Hilary Evans, the editors of Magonia magazine, and many of the contributors to Fortean Times magazine. It has also been popular in France since the publication in 1977 of a book written by Michel Monnerie, Et si les ovnis n'existaient pas?.

<i>Book of Dzyan</i> Theosophical book

The Book of Dzyan is a reputedly ancient text of Tibetan origin. The Stanzas formed the basis for The Secret Doctrine (1888), one of the foundational works of the theosophical movement, by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. The book has influenced writers in the ancient astronaut, occult and UFO communities. Historians and skeptics have dismissed the Book of Dzyan as a hoax and have accused Blavatsky of plagiarism.

A UFO religion is any religion in which the existence of extraterrestrial (ET) entities operating unidentified flying objects (UFOs) is an element of belief. Typically, adherents of such religions believe the ETs to be interested in the welfare of humanity which either already is, or eventually will become, part of a pre-existing ET civilization. Other religions predate the UFO era of the mid 20th century, but incorporate ETs into a more supernatural worldview in which the UFO occupants are more akin to angels than physical aliens, but this distinction may be blurred within the overall subculture. These religions have their roots in the tropes of early science fiction and weird fiction writings, in ufology, and in the subculture of UFO sightings and alien abduction stories. Historians have considered the Aetherius Society, founded by George King, to be the first UFO religion.

<i>The Sirius Mystery</i> Pseudoarchaeology book by Robert K. G. Temple

The Sirius Mystery is a book written by Robert K. G. Temple supporting the pseudoscientific ancient astronauts hypothesis that intelligent extraterrestrial beings visited the Earth and made contact with humans in antiquity and prehistoric times. The book was first published by St. Martin's Press in 1976. Its second, 1998, edition is called The Sirius Mystery: New Scientific Evidence of Alien Contact 5,000 Years Ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosmicism</span> Literary philosophy

Cosmicism is the literary philosophy developed and used by the American writer H. P. Lovecraft in his fiction. Lovecraft was a writer of philosophically intense horror stories that involve occult phenomena like astral possession and alien miscegenation, and the themes of his fiction over time contributed to the development of this philosophy.

Robert Charroux was the best-known pen-name of Robert Joseph Grugeau. He was a French author known for his writings on the ancient astronaut theme.

<i>Ancient Aliens</i> American extraterrestrial visitation television series

Ancient Aliens is an American television series produced by Prometheus Entertainment that explores the pseudoscientific hypothesis of ancient astronauts in a non-critical, documentary format. Episodes also explore related pseudoscientific and pseudohistoric topics, such as: Atlantis and other lost ancient civilizations, extraterrestrial contact and ufology, and popular conspiracy theories. The series, which has aired on History since 2010, has been a target for criticism of History's channel drift, as well as criticism for promoting unorthodox or unproven hypotheses as fact. According to Smithsonian, episodes of the series overwhelm the viewer with "fictions and distortions" by using a Gish gallop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient astronauts in popular culture</span>

Ancient astronauts have been addressed frequently in science fiction and horror fiction. Occurrences in the genres include:

The interdimensional hypothesis is a proposal that unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings are the result of experiencing other "dimensions" that coexist separately alongside our own in contrast with either the extraterrestrial hypothesis that suggests UFO sightings are caused by visitations from outside the Earth or the psychosocial hypothesis that argues UFO sightings are best explained as psychological or social phenomenon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giorgio A. Tsoukalos</span> Swiss-born TV presenter

Giorgio A. Tsoukalos is a Swiss-born writer, and television presenter and producer. He is a ufologist and a promoter of the ancient astronauts hypothesis. He is best known for his appearances on Ancient Aliens, a History channel series of which he is also producer.

"The Return of the Sorcerer" is a horror short story by American writer Clark Ashton Smith, first published in Strange Tales of Mystery and Terror in September 1931. The story ties into H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos due to its references to Lovecraft's invented book of occult lore the Necronomicon. It tells of one Mr. Ogden being hired by scholarly recluse John Carnby to translate passages from the Necronomicon.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Colavito, Jason. "Jason Colavito Biography". Jason Colavito. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Achievers". Syracuse, NY. Post-Standard. August 7, 2003.
  3. 1 2 Beth Beer, Cuddy (November 21, 2005). "New Book Sends The Saucers Spinning; Author Rebuts Claims Extraterrestrials Created Civilizations On Earth". Syracuse, NY. The Post-Standard.
  4. ↑ "Perspective | I once made fun of UFOs. Now the U.S. government is giving me second thoughts". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  5. ↑ Winick, Stephen D (July 8, 2014). "Killer Legends Available on DVD and iTunes". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  6. ↑ Al-Atraqchi, Firas (December 5, 2012). "Let's Not Omit History Because It Is Convenient". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  7. ↑ "AAD Podcast – Jason Colavito Interview" Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  8. ↑ Joshi, S. T. (2006). Icons of Horror and the Supernatural: An Encyclopedia of Our Worst Nightmares. Greenwood. p. 126. ISBN   978-0313337802.
  9. 1 2 Wilson, D. Harlan (2009). "The Science of Horror, the Horror of Science Review Essay: The Science of Horror, the Horror of Science Knowing Fear: Science, Knowledge and the Development of the Horror Genre by Jason Colavito Review by: D. Harlan Wilson". Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts. 20 (1): 109–116.
  10. ↑ Zaitchik, Alexander. "Close encounters of the racist kind". splcenter.org. SPLC. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  11. ↑ Colavito, Jason (2021-05-21). "How Washington Got Hooked on Flying Saucers". The New Republic. ISSN   0028-6583 . Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  12. ↑ Colavito, Jason (2021-12-14). "Congress Is About to Send the Pentagon on a Wild Flying-Saucer Chase". The New Republic. ISSN   0028-6583 . Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  13. ↑ Colavito, Jason (2021-02-12). "What UFOs and Joe McCarthy Have to Do With the Assault on the Capitol". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  14. ↑ DeVega, Chauncey (2021-06-21). "Why Tucker Carlson loves UFOs: Jason Colavito on the hidden links between conspiracy theories". Salon. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  15. ↑ Colavito, Jason. "JasonColavito.com Books" . Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  16. ↑ Colavito, Jason (30 September 2021). "It's Time We Let James Dean Be the Queer Icon He Is". Esquire. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  17. ↑ "Cult of Alien Gods". California Bookwatch. April 1, 2006. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  18. ↑ Callahan, Tim (June 22, 2005). "Dawn of the Aquarian age". Skeptic.
  19. ↑ Cowie, Jonathan. "The Cult of Alien Gods: H. P. Lovecraft and Extraterrestrial Pop Culture". Non-Fiction Reviews. Science Fact & Science Fiction Concatenation. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  20. ↑ Timmerman, Nicholas A. (February 2022). "The Mound Builder Myth: Fake History and the Hunt for a "Lost White Race" by Jason Colavito, and: Colonizing the Past: Mythmaking and Pre-Columbian Whites in Nineteenth-Century American Writing by Edward Watts (review)". Journal of Southern History. 88 (1): 155–157. doi:10.1353/soh.2022.0013. S2CID   246819009.
  21. ↑ Jennings, Matthew (Winter 2021). "The Mound Builder Myth: Fake History and the Hunt for a "Lost White Race." By Jason Colavito". Western Historical Quarterly. 52 (4): 459–460. doi:10.1093/whq/whab093.
  22. ↑ Ransom, Amy J. (March 2010). "Review: Delightful Horrors". Science Fiction Studies. 37 (1): 115–117. JSTOR   40649592 . Retrieved 9 August 2022.

Further reading

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