Category: Psychoanalysis

Critical Social Theory in Istanbul – ICST 2026

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 local and tourist 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!

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“The Rise of Authoritarianism” – Sakharov Conference in Vilnius, Lithuania

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.

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Institute for Critical Social Theory Conference in Istanbul, July 8-10, 2026

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:

ICST – Call for Papers 2026Download
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New Publication in Critical Perspectives

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:

Critical Perspectives – Vol 1, no. 2 Download
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On the Radio discussing the Psychology of Trump and his devotees

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

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Two new paperbacks of two new genius books!

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.

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Psychoanalysis and Syed Hussein Alatas

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.

Alatas Decolonizing PsychoanalysisDownload
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Discussing the “Magic Helper” at the Self & Society Symposium – Chicago

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.

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