The Institute for Critical Social Theory has released its Call for Papers for the 2026 conference at Marmara University in Istanbul, Turkey. The theme of this year’s conference is “Critical Social Theory in an Age of Global Uncertainty.” We, the organizers, would love to see you all there. Send us an abstract! For more details, see the full Call for Papers below:
Critical Perspectives, the journal of the Institute for Critical Social Theory, has just released Vol. 1, no. 2. It was published in December by Ekpyrosis Press. In it I have an article entitled, “Ali Shariati and the Foundations of Islamic Socialism: Muhammad, Capitalism, and the Post-Metaphysical Socialist Alternative.” I also wrote a book review of Jack El-Hai’s The Nazi and the Psychiatrist: Herman Göring, Dr. Douglas M. Kelley, and a Fatal meeting of Minds at the End of the WWII.
You can purchase a physical copy for $20 here: Critical Perspectives Vol. 1, no. 2.
Or, a free download can be found here:
On January 28, 2026, I had the great honor to join Kevin M. DeJesus on his radio show, The Compass on 990WBOB. We discussed my book, The Dark Charisma of Donald Trump: Political Psychology and the MAGA Movement, published by Ekpyrosis Press. I explained why political psychology and/or psychoanalytic political theory is more helpful for understanding the presidency of Donald Trump as opposed to political philosophy, due to the fact that Donald Trump has no coherent ideology. If you’d like to listen to the episode or download it, see the link below.
The Compass: The Psychology of MAGA
The end of the year 2025 has seen the release of two paperback versions of the books I recently co-edited and published with Brill. The first is, “Sigmund Freud as a Critical Social Theorist: Psychoanalysis and the Neurotic in Contemporary Society,” co-edited with Seyed Javad Miri. The Second is, “The Many Faces of Populism: Perspectives from Critical Theory and Beyond,” co-edited with Mlado Ivanovic and Jeremiah Morelock. The paperbacks were published by Haymarket Books in Chicago, as part of the Studies in Critical Social Sciences series, edited by David Fasenfest.
On Thursday, November 13th, 2025, I was able to take the students in my “Religion and Philosophy in the Third Reich” course at The University of Olivet to The Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills, MI. For many of the students, it was the first time they were confronted with artifacts and exhibits related to the mechanized mass extermination of a civilian population: the Jews of Europe. We had a wonderful guide, “Jimm,” who not only explained the many exhibits on display, but reminded the students about the categorical need to stand up to injustice, prejudice, violence, and genocide. If you haven’t been to The Zekelman Holocaust Center, I would strongly suggest a visit. It is well worth it. Below are just a few of the pictures taken on our visit:
On Thursday, September 25th, 2025, I had the great opportunity to give a lecture entitled, “Courage is the Basis of all Virtues,” for the Courageous Leadership Colloquium at the University of Olivet. Give it a listen:
On October 24th, I had the opportunity to present my work on Syed Hussain Alatas and his concept of the “Captive Mind” at the Association for the Psychoanalysis of Culture and Society conference, held at Rutgers University. The theme of this year’s conference was “The Psychoanalytic Subject in a Fractured World: Culture, Power, and the Politics of Existence.” The article my presentation was based on was included in a special issue on Psychoanalysis and Colonialism in the journal, Psychoanalysis, Culture and Society. A link to the article can be found below.
On September 3rd, 2025, I had the opportunity to present my work on the ethical problems of AI in warfare at the “Catholic Social Teachings and AI” conference at St. Mary’s University-Twickenham-London, Edinburgh campus. Stephen Dolan was the genius who organized the conference and I’m especially grateful that he invited me to address the attendees. My presentation discussed the ethical issues regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence in warfare, with Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza as a particular egregious case. While I’m no expert on the technical side of AI, the ethics of its use for military means seems deeply problematic, especially as it relates to the 7-point Just War Theory.
On August 7th, I had the wonderful opportunity to discuss my book, The Dark Charisma of Donald Trump: Political Psychology and the MAGA Movement, at the Self Society Symposium (SSS) at Loyola University in Chicago. The SSS is coordinated by the great scholar, Lauren Langman, of Loyola University. I was joined by many other sociologists, psychologists, theologians, and philosophers to discuss ongoing issues in our society, especially the U.S. drift towards authoritarianism. In my presentation, I used Erich Fromm’s notion of the “Magic Helper,” found in his seminal 1941 book, Escape from Freedom, to highlight how Trump’s most submissive devotees perceive him as a national messianic force. We had a wonderful dinner and discourse the night before our symposium at Lauren’s house in Lincoln Park, for which Lauren was the most gracious host.
If you are interested in my book, The Dark Charisma of Donald Trump: Political Psychology and the MAGA Movement, it is available three different ways: Ekpyrosis Press Website; Amazon; Lulu.
dustinjbyrd
Dustin J. Byrd, Ph.D. 