“Terribilis Occidentalis: A Dialectical Critique of Oikophobia,” just released:

My latest article, “Terribilis Occidentalis: A Dialectical Critique of Oikophobia,” was just published in Critical Perspectives (Vol. 1, no. 1). This is the new journal of the Institute for Critical Social Theory, of which I am the founder and co-director. In this article, I deal with the problem of Leftist oikophobia, the pathological hatred for all things “ours” (Western), arguing that this pathology is extremely dangerous, as it forecloses on that which is still salvageable, rescuable, and good within Western civilization, especially its intellectual tradition. Additionally, I argue that once the Left abandons the West via “abstract negation,” as opposed to “determinate negation” (Aufheben) they leave a powerful tradition and legacy in the hands of the far-right, who will use it as a weapon against all those they deem “other,” i.e., those they view as not belonging to the West. The new journal will be published bi-annually, so consider submitting your work!

Critical Perspectives Vol 1 No 1Download
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Discussing the life and legacy of Pope Francis with Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert

On May 31st, 2025, I sat down with the critical theorist and Catholic theologian, Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert, to discuss the life, work, and legacy of Pope Francis. We discussed the Pope’s life before the papacy, the twelve years of his papacy, and the numerous ways in which he “changed the tone” of the Catholic Church, making it more inclusive and open to the world. Elected in 2013, Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, 2025. To the end, he maintained his positions against Russia’s war on Ukraine, Israel’s genocide of Palestinians, and the need to address Global Climate Change before it is too late. In many ways, Pope Francis was a force unto himself, as he, as Dr. Siebert says, put the poor at the forefront of faith, as the church should be a “field hospital” as opposed to a bunker. Our discourse was sponsored by Ekpyrosis Press and the Institute for Critical Social Theory.

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Baccalaureate Speech at The University of Olivet

On Friday, May 16th, I had the distinct honor to address The University of Olivet’s 2025 graduating class during their Baccalaureate ceremony. Nominated by my student Lily Rozeveld and voted upon by the senior class, I was chosen to give a speech that would embody the theme of their event: “New Beginnings.” In my speech, entitled “From Catastrophe to New Beginnings,” I discussed the dialect of history using the 1946 “blinding of Isaac Woodard” as the animating subject. From the horror of the racist attack on Sgt. Woodard came the desegregation of the public schools throughout the United States. Woodard never knew that his case created the reverberations that changed history. Thank you Joylyn Stover for the audio recording and the Dr. Linda Logan for the picture. To hear the speech, see the YouTube link below.

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Islamophobia in Granada, Spain

On May 22, 2025, I had the awesome opportunity to present my work on the metaphysics of Islamophobia at the Fourth Annual International Islamophobia Studies Research Association (IISRA) Conference, which took place in the shadow of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. The conference was sponsored by the Instituto de la Paz y los Conflictos (Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies) and Departments Studios Semiticos (Department of Semitic Studies), at the University of Granada. My presentation was based on my chapter in the new book, Secularism, Race, and the Politics of Islamophobia (University of Alberta Press), edited by Dr. Sharmin Sadequee. The chapter is entitled, “The Limits of the Translation Proviso: The Inherent Alien in the Willed-Community,” wherein I discussed Habermas’ “translation proviso” for Muslims in the West, its problems, and the rightwing retreat into metaphysical Islamophobia, especially in the concept of the “Volksgemeinschaft” (ethnic community), as a means of marginalizing Muslims in post-secular societies. No trip to Granada is complete without a tour of the Alhambra and the Albaicín part of the city, which is a historically Muslim part of the city. I also toured the Monastery of St. Jerome, Cartuja de Granada (Carthusian Monastery), and the Basílica Catedral Metropolitana de la Encarnación (Granada Cathedral), which sits on the remains of the central mosque of Granada. I also visited the Islamic madrasa (which is not a madrasa anymore) and the square in which Catholic Spaniards burned the Islamic books from the madrasa. This was an amazing conference and visit to Andalusia. I look forward to returning to visit Seville and Cordoba.

Fourth Annual International Islamophobia Studies Research Association (IISRA) ConferenceDownload

Buy the book here: Secularism, Race, and the Politics of Islamophobia.

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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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“Where Id is, Ego shall be”: A Freud Portrait for a Freud Book

On April 1st, 2025, I had the opportunity to meet with the great portrait artist, Mahalia Stelter, an alumna of The University of Olivet, to celebrate the publication of the new book, Sigmund Freud as a Critical Social Theorist: Psychoanalysis and the Neurotic in Contemporary Society, edited by Seyed Javad Miri and I. Mahalia’s portrait of Freud was used for the cover of the book, and was photographed by Aubrey Helfrich. The book is published by Brill (Leiden, Netherlands), and is available for purchase via Brill’s website, or through Amazon. Get your copy of the Freudian goodness now, or have your institution order a copy.

For a discussion on Freud and his relevance to the Frankfurt School, see my discussion with Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert.

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Talking Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Fascism with Rudolf J. Siebert

On March 15th, 2025, I had the pleasure of discussing the life and work of the German Lutheran Pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, with the critical theorist and theologian, Rudolf J. Siebert. We discussed the historicity of the 2024 movie, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Assassin, and why it is important to remember individuals like Bonhoeffer who resisted fascism, especially in light of the latest rise of authoritarian populism in the West. We also discussed Bonhoeffer’s concept of “stupidity” and “cheap grace” among others. The 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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