On August 6th, 2026, I had the great honor to join my colleagues at the Self & Society Symposium at Northeastern University – New York. Invited by my dear brother Professor Emeritus of Loyola University Chicago, Lauren Langman, my talk was based on my book, The Dark Charisma of Donald Trump: Political Psychology and the MAGA Movement. To listen to the presentation, see the video below.
On July 8-10, the Institute for Critical Social Theory hosted a conference at Marmara University. The conference was entitled, “Critical Social Theory in a time of Global Uncertainty.” I gave two presentations, one on the political-psychological dynamics of Donald Trump, the “Dark Charismatic” as I call him in my book – The Dark Charisma of Donald Trump: Political Psychology and the MAGA Movement. The second was on the “Inherent Alien in the Post-Secular Society,” which discusses the metaphysicalization of Islamophobia – its retreat from race and religion into the intangibility of Geist. We had a total of 28 presenters, with Seyed Javad Miri delivering the plenary address on the first day. Our trip included a visit to a Mevlevi Sema (Spiritual Concert) at the Hodjapasha Culture Center, and a dinner cruise on the Bosphorus. On the last day of the conference, we visited the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed mosque), the 6th century Aya Sofia (Hagia Sophia) – the church-turned-mosque-turned-museum-turned-mosque, the Museum of Islamic Art, and the Topkapi Palace. Overall, this was an amazing experience. The conference went exceptionally well with very interesting presentations and discussions, the cultural excursions were amazing, the bazaars were spectacular, and the mosques were unspeakably beautiful and serene during salah. The dueling adhans between Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque was amazing (see the video below). Istanbul, also known as “Catstanbul,” is full of cats, which are communally owned, mostly friendly, and adored by locals and tourists alike. I miss them already. Unfortunately, the Aya Sofia is in disrepair, so a lot of renovation work is being done on it. It will look even more beautiful once it is done.
Our 2027 conference is tentatively planned to take place in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Keep an eye out for the Call for Papers.
I would like to thank Nuri Tinaz of Marmara University for all his help organizing the conference on the ground in Istanbul; Cihan Nuri for driving us around and for the wonderful gifts, as well as The University of Olivet for all the technical support. Lastly, to all the students who helped us keep the conference going, you are awesome! Keep studying and change the world!
While at the 16th Annual Sakharov conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, I had the fortunate opportunity to do a couple interviews for Lithuanian news outlets, wherein we talked about Putin’s war on Ukraine, populism in the U.S. and Europe, as well as my book, The Dark Charisma of Donald Trump: Political Psychology and the MAGA Movement. These two interviews turned into numerous news articles. The links to the articles are below (All in Lithuanian).
US professor: Putin wants to restore the Russian empire to counter the West – May 30, 2026
US professor: This creates apocalyptic mood for the Kremlin – May 30, 2026
US professor: this is fueling apocalyptic sentiments in the Kremlin – May 30, 2026
US professor identifies Putin’s ultimate goal – May 30, 2026
US professor: Putin wants to restore the Russian empire, and Ukraine is its jewel – May 30, 2026
US professor: Putin wants to restore the Russian empire – May 30, 2026
And here is the LRT Interview on Trump and Trumpism:
US professor on Trump: all projects and daughter Ivanka are his narcissistic mirrors – June 30, 2026
I had the great opportunity to participate in the Sixteenth International Sakharov Conference in Vilnius Lithuania, on May 21-22. Organized by Robert van Voren, this conference brought together activists, NGOs, diplomats, dissidents, academics, and other government officials, to discuss the ongoing rise of authoritarianism, especially in the West, as well as the war of aggression launched by Vladimir Putin against Ukraine. With the subject title, “Fifty years after the founding of the Helsinki Movement,” we discussed the democratic dissident movement that fought for human rights during the Soviet period. My discussion of the psycho-dynamics of Trump’s authoritarianism came under the section on “The Current Political Climate.” I was joined on stage by Janet Anderson (UK), George Kent (USA), Margarita Å eÅ¡elgytÄ— (Lithuania), Hans Brask (Denmark), and Helmer Krane (Germany). We had a wonderful meet-and-greet at the Norwegian embassy in Vilnius; we watched the film, “To the Success of our Hopeless Cause,” about dissidents during the Soviet period at the Czech Embassy in Vilnius, and heard an amazing concert by Alexey Botvinov (Odesa, Ukraine) in memory of Semyon Gluzman, who recently passed away. For all intents and purposes, Gluzman was a force to be reckoned with, as was well displayed by those who attended the conference who knew and loved him. His spirit was with us even though his physical presence was not. Overall, this was an amazing opportunity and experience and I thank Robert van Voren for inviting me to participate. I hope my meager contribution was meaningful.
While in Vilnius, I did two media interviews on top of the one I already did while I was in Rome. Here’s the first of three (In Lithuanian): Trump is a Psychopath.
During my free time, I explored The Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, located inside of the former KGB building in Vilnius. The prison cells in the basement were disturbing, as was the execution room, where thousands of dissidents were murdered. I also visited the Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus of Vilnius, the main Catholic Cathedral in Vilnius. I also explored the history of Vilnius and Lithuanian Christianity with the tour of the Basilica’s catacombs. Vilnius is a beautiful city, and its solidarity with the Ukrainian cause is admirable. Ukrainian flags were seen throughout the city, as its own memory of occupation by the Soviet Union is invoked with each missile Putin launches into Ukraine.
The conference schedule can be found here: 16th Sakharov Conference – Vilnius, Lithuania.
My contribution to this panel starts around the 4 hour, 50 minute mark.
I am happy to announce that Esmaeil Zeiny and I recently published our book, Beyond Eurocentric Social Theory: The Nomadic Intellectual on Religion, Culture, and the State, which is a collection of essays that engage the work of the Iranian social theorist and my dear brother, Seyed Javad Miri. Dr. Miri is an encyclopedia of knowledge regarding social thought, both Western and Islamic. He has published books and articles on a wide variety of topics, from Iranian politics and culture to Western theory in conversation with Eastern philosophical and religious thought. His work has influenced countless intellectuals and we have attempted to honor him with this collection of essays, published by DeGruyter Brill.
I would personally like to thank Dr. Esmaeil Zeiny, who did the bulk of the heavy lifting on this project, which allowed me some intellectual space to keep working on the many projects that Seyed Javad and I are always involved in, including our Institute for Critical Social Theory, our journal Critical Perspectives, and the numerous books he publishes with Ekpyrosis Press. If there is good in this new book, it is the work of Esmaeil Zeiny and the authors; if there are mistakes, they’re mine.
Look closely at the cover and you’ll see that Seyed Javad is looking back at you!
Get yourself a copy of the book: Beyond Eurocentric Social Theory: The Nomadic Intellectual on Religion, Culture, and the State.
On April 18, 2026, I had the wonderful opportunity to join the PAGMANGNO series of seminars held by the Philosophy Circle of the Philippines – Legazpi Chapter. In its 20th iteration, PAGMANGNO XX adopted the theme, “Philosophy in the Time of Authoritarian Regimes,” highlighting the importance of philosophy in times where actions and thoughts are being suppressed. I would like to thank my dear brother Hadje Cresencio Sadje who initiated the invitation, as well as the amazing students who had excellent questions.
On April 8th, 2026, I gave a presentation on the centrality of music within the African American struggle within the United States. Tracing the “tenacious recalcitrance” of African Americans back to the spirit of West Africa, I argued that such recalcitrance animated the music of enslaved African Americans in the antebellum South to the Jim Crow period, through the Civil Rights struggle unto the Black Power movement, a spirit which was once again reborn in the music of the 1990s. I pressed the students once again to rediscover that “tenacious recalcitrance” in the music they listen to and that they perform, and to allow such meaningful music to be the soundtrack of their lifeworld – pushing them to achieve greater things in this life beyond the trappings of comfort and conspicuous consumption. The invitation to speak came from the men of Alpha XI Omega “Elite,” an amazing fraternity on campus, advised by Prof. Laura Barlond-Maas. I was joined on stage by UO President Steven Corey, Dr. Linda Logan, and the men of Elite, who discussed numerous Black musicians who contributed to the struggle for equality, dignity, and freedom. The pictures below were taken by the student Sydney Lynch (Sigma Beta) and Dr. Linda Logan.
On March 7th, I spent an hour talking with my Doktorvater, Rudolf J. Siebert, about the origin and struggle between the authoritarian and democratic personalities, and how such personalities have shaped the past and are shaping the present. You can find the video on the Rudolf J. Siebert Audio-Visual Archive on YouTube. Our discourse was sponsored by Ekpyrosis Press and the Institute for Critical Social Theory.
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:
dustinjbyrd
Dustin J. Byrd, Ph.D. 