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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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Celebrating MLK; Talking about Justice

On Wednesday, January 21st, I had the distinct pleasure to be a speaker at the 2nd annual Symposium of the Hiram Archer Student Success Academy (HASSA) at The University of Olivet. I spoke on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s conception of Justice, and why it is needed in the world today, as we, like Dr. King, live in a time of despair, a time of troubles, and a time wherein faith in our ability to govern ourselves with justice for all is disintegrating. I joined President Dr. Steven Corey, Author and Speaker DeAndre Carter, Oakland University’s Dr. Tonya Bailey and her amazing husband Lee Bailey, as well as the unconquerable recording artist, LaQuisha Burries-Finn. We also had the pleasure of listening to the UO Gospel Choir and the violinist, Rodney Page. This was a tremendous event, one wherein the spirit of Dr. King emanated through all the speakers and performers.

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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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“Critical Theory in an Age of Social Disintegration” – ICST Conference in Bristol, UK

On July 17-19, the Institute for Critical Social Theory hosted their inaugural conference at the University of Bristol, UK. I was a great honor to welcome so many scholars to the ICST event. We had thirteen presentations, two plenary addresses, and a round table discussion about critical theory during times of war (See the schedule below). We are looking forward to our next conference in 2026, with Istanbul being the agreed upon destination. Keep an eye out for that Call for Papers.

ICST 2025 Conference ScheduleDownload

If you’d like to listen to my plenary address, wherein I discuss what it means to be critical in an age of social disintegration, you can find it on YouTube:

For more information on the Institute for Critical Social Theory, please visit our website: ICST

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Resisting Fascism: Father Alfred Delp

On May 3rd, 2025, I had the opportunity to discuss with the critical theorist and theologian, Dr. Rudolf Siebert, the life, times, and martyrdom of the Jesuit priest, Father Alfred Delp. Born of his Catholic faith, Delp was a staunch anti-Nazi, and was part of the Kreisau Circle that envisioned a new and radically different society that would come after the fall of the Nazis. Because of this, and because of his tangential connection to Claus von Stauffenberg’s failed assassination plot against Hitler, Delp was arrested, imprisoned, interrogated, beaten, and eventually stood trial in front of the communist-turned-fascist judge, Roland Freisler. Found guilty, Delp was executed on February 2, 1945. This discourse was sponsored by Ekpyrosis Press and the Institute for Critical Social Theory.

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Remembering Malcolm X in an Age of Crisis

On February 21st, 2025, we remembered the anniversary of Malcolm X’s 1965 assassination at The University of Olivet, at my annual Malcolm X Lecture Series. For an audience of students, faculty, and administrators, I gave a presentation entitled, “Remembering Malcolm X in an Age of Crisis: 5 Lessons from a Revolutionary Life.” In this presentation, I focused on what we can learn from Malcolm X’s own life in a time of social disintegration, racial and religious antagonisms, and political-economic strife, and how we can apply those lessons to our own time, as we experience the rise of populist parties and figures, attempting to negate the progress that has been made in Western society. This event was sponsored by the Department of Arts and Humanities at UO.

Some years ago, Seyed Javad Miri and I edited a volume of essays on Malcolm X, which is available through Haymarket Books: Malcolm X: From Political Eschatology to Religious Revolutionary. Get your copy now!

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“Transforming Catastrophe into a Catalyst for Change” – MLK Day at UO

On January 22, 205, I had the honor of speaking at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Inaugural Luncheon held at The University of Olivet. My speech was entitled, “Transforming Catastrophe into a Catalyst for Change,” wherein I talked about taking MLK’s radicality seriously, what created his radicality – as a response to systematic racism and episodic racism, and how Dr. King understood Hegel’s philosophy of history: from regress comes great progress, as long as we’re willing to do the work! I was joined on stage by President Steven Corey, Dr. Tonya Bailey (Oakland University), and the motivational speaker, Dr. Eric Thomas. The music was outstanding! We heard musical performances by the Olivet Choir/Choral, Robert Kyle II, MJ and the Band, and the flautist Brandon Marceal. The event was arranged by the amazing Joshua Gillespie (UO) and the Hiram Archer Student Success Academy (HASSA) at UO. It was a powerful event honoring a prophetic brother, Dr. King.

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Talking Erich Fromm with Dr. Rainer Funk

On Thursday, November 14th, 2024, I had the great pleasure of welcoming Dr. Rainer Funk into my course on Erich Fromm, “Visionary Thinkers: Freedom and Fear.” Dr. Funk spoke with my class via Zoom from Tübingen, Germany, where he is the Director of the Erich Fromm Institute, the Co-Director of the Erich Fromm Study Center at the International Psychoanalytic University (IPU) in Berlin, and a practicing psychoanalyst. He is Erich Fromm’s sole Literary Executor and among his publications are the 10-volume German edition of Erich Fromm Collected Works (1980 and 1981; expanded to 12-volumes in 1999). We were pleased to benefit from his knowledge of Erich Fromm and wisdom about the world.

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