On January 27, 2024, I had the pleasure to meet with Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert, my doktorvater, for a follow-up discussion to our previous discourse on “The Temptation of Fascism.” This time, we discussed the history and importance of the “Democratic Response to the Far-Right and Fascism,” from the Third Reich until today. It is always a great honor to be a part of these events, and I look forward to doing many more in the future. For more information on Dr. Siebert, please see his website: www.dialectical-religion.org
On January 21st, 2024, I had a wonderful opportunity to discuss the topic of Erich Fromm and religion with numerous great scholars, including Rudolf J. Siebert, Hille Haker, Reiner Funk, Joan Braune and numerous others. The event was organized by Maor Levitin on behalf of the Erich Fromm Society of North America. My presentation discussed the need for the political Left to reengage with religion, to develop an humanistic/religious ecumenicism along the lines of Erich Fromm’s psychoanalytic philosophy, lest the “catalogue” of religion become the sole possession of the far-right, who would use it as a weapon against the unwanted “others.” A video of the discourse will be made available at a later time.
“Can Religion be Rescued in the 21st Century? Erich Fromm’s Religious Humanism and Authoritarian Populism”
On January 12th, 2024, I had the great pleasure of presenting my work at the “Fire on the Mountain” conference at the University of Colorado-Boulder, sponsored by the Center for Media, Religion, and Culture. My presentation was on the Neo-Eurasianism of Alexander Dugin and the temptation is presents for many on the Left, who, like Alexander Dugin, are critics of the Neo-Liberal hegemony, but are unaware of the fascist roots of Dugin’s philosophy. The presentation was well received and we had a fruitful discussion afterwards. While it was bitterly cold, the fires of academic inquiry kept us warm! Much gratitude to Nabil Echchaibi for organizing the conference and CU-Boulder for hosting it.
I recently had the opportunity to discuss “The Fascist Temptation” with Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert, critical theorist, sociologist, and theologian. In the video we discuss the issue of fascism from Siebert’s youth in the Third Reich to the present moment. As a life-long anti-fascist, Dr. Siebert understands fascism not only as an ideology, but also a seductive experience, one that remains a danger especially within democratic societies and must be rejected and continuously fought against. This discourse was sponsored by Ekpyrosis Press and the Institute for Critical Social Theory.
For more information on Dr. Siebert and his work, check out his website: dialectical-religion.org
On September 9th, 2023, I had a wonderful opportunity to discuss the life, work, and long friendship between the Catholic theologian, Gregory Baum, and the critical theorist, Rudolf J. Siebert. Gregory was born in Berlin but emigrated to Canada during World War II. While coming from a Jewish family, he eventually converted to Catholicism and became a Catholic priest, after reading St. Augustine’s Confessions. Along with Johannes Baptist Metz and Hans Küng, Baum was a a “peritus,” or theological advisor during the Second Vatican Council, where he was instrumental in rewriting the church’s relationship with the Jews – no longer calling for their conversions. He was also very interested in the Critical Theory of Religion, as developed by the Frankfurt School.
Baum passed away in October of 2017 in Canada. He was a prolific writer, scholar, and speaker, and a long-time friend of my doktorvater, Rudolf J. Siebert. I hope you all enjoy the discussion.
On September 7th, 2023, I have the wonderful opportunity to share my work on Russian apocalyptic political thought at the Apocalyptic Times: Spirituality in Global Revolt conference at the University of Exeter in the UK. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be physically at the conference, so I joined them through the magical world of Zoom! There were excellent questions and discussions on a range of issues regarding Russian thought, Alexander Dugin’s Neo-Eurasianist fascism, nuclear apocalyptic thought, and so on. I would especially like to thank Iona Ramsey for all the hard work she did organizing this conference. It was my honor to present at it. See the video below:
On June 28th, 2023, I had the opportunity to discuss the topic of Liberation Theology with the Critical Theorist and theologian, Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert. We covered many elements of Liberation Theology, including its history, the influence of Marxism and the Frankfurt School on it, as well as the opposition it withstood by the institutional Catholic Church. The discourse was sponsored by Ekpyrosis Press and the Institute for Critical Social Theory.
From June 8th through the 11th, I participated in the 3rd annual Erich Fromm Conference, which took place at the International Psychoanalytic University in Berlin, Germany, in the Erich Fromm Study Center, organized by Reiner Funk (seen in the picture above). Our theme this year was on the need for “Humanistic Transformation” of self and society. I presented my work on Saturday, June 10th, regarding Erich Fromm’s dialectical approach to religion, wherein he determinately negates the exterior of Judaism, Christianity, and Buddhism, while rescuing its inner-truths psychoanalytically. My session was well attended and I received some interesting questions from the audience. It is clear that Erich Fromm’s work continues to be a source for critique of capitalist modernity, as well as the once-again rising forms of rightwing authoritarianism, which itself in many ways is a reaction to democratic, capitalist, and globalized modernity. Erich Fromm’s one time assistant, Reiner Funk, presided over the conference, with the help of Thomas Kühn, Hannah Wippermann, Katrin Voigt. I was happy to see some familiar friends, Jeremiah Morelock, Joan Braune, Lauren Langman, and Michael Thompson, as well as my dear brothers and members of the Institute for Critical Social Theory, Seyed Javad Miri, Michael Naughton, and Mehdi Shariati. Seyed Javad Miri gave a master class in how to present one’s work at an international conference; he dazzled the crowd with his presentation on anxiety as a means of growth. Below are some of the pictures from the conference.
My latest monograph, “The Dark Charisma of Donald Trump: Political Psychology and the MAGA Movement,” has now been released in paperback and hardcover.
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The presidency of Donald Trump posed a challenge to many political theorists, pundits, and analysts, who were accustomed to interrogating world leaders through their professed social, economic, and political ideologies. Yet, throughout the administration of the 45th American President, no political ideology ever became ascertainable; no philosophical first principles were ever revealed, and nothing other than the politics-of-self-advancement seemed to motivate the gameshow-host-turned-politician. It became increasingly clear that what animated Donald Trump’s presidency were not the lofty ideals that Americans were accustomed to, but rather his own highly-particularized psychological matrix. According to the author, one cannot understand the charismatic leadership of Donald Trump through the lenses of political ideology. Rather, it is only by critically examining the political psychology of Trump and his “devotees” that one can fully grasp the dangerous nature of Trump’s “Dark Charisma” and the “Make America Great Again” movement that is defined by such. Systematically drawing upon both psychoanalysis and social psychology, as well as political philosophy, contemporary sociology, and American history, the author constructs a comprehensive political psychology that takes the reader inside the mind of Trump and his loyal devotees and explains how Trump’s charismatic leadership led millions of Americans to believe that he was the “divinely chosen” agent of American renewal, when in reality he posed the greatest threat to American democracy since the civil war.
dustinjbyrd
Dustin J. Byrd, Ph.D. 