New Book by Carimo Mohomed:

Carimo Mohomed has released his new book, The Hour: An Essay on Muhammad Iqbal’s Political Eschatology, published by Ekpyrosis Press. Here’s the abstract: Despite Modernity’s and the Enlightenment’s project and their self-proclaimed aims – Freedom, Happiness, Equality –, the world has been living in Darkness: the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports an unprecedented 123.2 million forcibly displaced people at the end of 2024, continuing a series of year-on-year increases for over a decade. Approximately 68.3 million people remain internally displaced within their own countries, while refugees account for about 43.4 million people. Over 473 million children—more than one in six globally—now live in areas affected by conflict, with the world experiencing the highest number of conflicts since World War II. The percentage of the world’s children living in conflict zones has doubled—from around 10 per cent in the 1990s to almost 19 per cent today. When one sees the world around us and reflects on what has been happening for the last two and a half centuries, the only “scientific”, “rational” conclusion that one has to derive is that the answers to the current predicament must come from somewhere else. And this essay is precisely that, an essay of an answer. Drawing on Muhammad Iqbal’s (1877-1938) thought and work, this book explores and explains how we can effectively reach to a world where the sovereign is the human being, but a different kind of Sovereignty and Liberty, which could lead us to an end of History, at least the end of History which started in the mid-eighteenth century. It is available through Ekpyrosis Press, Amazon (US), and Lulu (US & International).

New Article by Raffaele Mauriello:

ICST member, Raffaele Mauriello recently published his new article entitled, “When we read Frantz Fanon and were Latin Americans: The Real and Imagined Translation and Circulation of Third-World Revolutionary Works among Leftist Groups in Iran between the 1953 Coup and the 1979 Revolution.” It was published in the journal, Anaquel de Studios Árabes. The entire article is open access: Here.

New Book by Seyed Javad Miri:

Seyed Javad Miri has published a new book in English, entitled, “The Sociological Imagination in Iran: History and Fundamental Challenges” (Ekpyrosis Press, 2025). Here’s the abstract: “The Sociological Imagination in Iran: History and Fundamental Challenges, by Seyed Javad Miri, offers a critical historiography of the sociological imagination in Iran, challenging conventional institutional narratives that locate sociology’s origins solely within twentieth-century academia. Drawing on the sociology of knowledge, it traces the conceptual, cultural, and political foundations of Iranian sociological thought from the Safavid era to the present, emphasizing the interplay of local and global intellectual currents. The study foregrounds neglected influences, including women’s contributions, transregional exchanges, and pre-disciplinary social reasoning in literature, journalism, and reform movements. By situating Iranian sociology within broader civilizational and historical contexts, it reconceptualizes the field as an evolving intellectual project rooted in indigenous modernity and critical engagement with global modern thought.” The book is available through Ekpyrosis Press; Amazon (US): and Lulu (US & International).

New Edited volume by ICST Member, Daniele Cantini:

There are ongoing efforts in anthropology to decolonise its history and give fairer space to marginalised traditions. This book examines the history and institutionalization of anthropology in the Maghreb, the Mashreq and the Gulf, in an open and collaborative manner and from various perspectives. Its primary focus is two-fold: first, to reorient the anthropological focus towards studies conducted in the region, particularly on the conditions conducive to the institutionalization of anthropological knowledge; second, to shed light on anthropological studies in languages other than English. offering different theoretical and epistemological perspectives. The book is published by Berghahn and is available here: Social Anthropology in the Arab World: The Fragmented History of an Uncomfortable Discipline.

Two new book chapters from Dustin J. Byrd:

Recently the Founder and Co-Director of ICST, Dustin J. Byrd, had two new book chapters released. In May, Byrd’s chapter, “The Limits of the Translation Proviso: The Inherent Alien within the Willed Community,” appeared in the book, Secularism, Race, and the Politics of Islamophobia, edited by Sharmin Sadequee (University of Alberta Press, 2025). His other chapter, “From St. Paul and Carl Schmitt to Alexander Dugin: The Katechon as a Political Category in Empire Building,” appeared in the book, The Many Faces of Christianism: The ‘Russian World’ in Europe, edited by Marietta van der Tol, Sophia R.C. Johnson, Petr Kratochvíl, and Zoran Grozdanov, with a forward by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby (Brill, 2025).

Publishing Highlight: Seyed Javad Miri

The late summer of 2025 saw the release of numerous new books in English by ICST’s co-director, Seyed Javad Miri. First, he published Inner Odyssey: A Sociotherapeutic Journey of Self and Beyond (Ekpyrosis Press), and second, Being and Language: An Inquiry in the Complexities of Language and Human Understanding (Ekpyrosis Press). Additionally, he published Revisiting the Critical Legacy of Shah Ismail: An Inquiry into the Lost Gnostic Tradition of Khatai, published by Brill. Inner Odyssey can be found on the Ekpyrosis Press website, Amazon (US), and internationally through Lulu. Likewise, Being and Language can be found through the Ekpyrosis Press website, Amazon (US), and internationally through Lulu. Revisiting the Critical Legacy of Shah Ismail is available through Brill and Amazon.

ICST Conference at the University of Bristol

The Institute for Critical Social Theory held its inaugural conference on July 17-19th at the University of Bristol in the UK. It was a great success, with thirteen presentations, two plenary addresses, and one roundtable discussion of “Critical Theory in a time of War.” ICST would like to thank all who participated in our conference, making it the success it was. A special thank you goes out to Dr. Michael Naughton of the University of Bristol, who helped organize the conference. We are planning the next conference with the expectation that it will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2026.

Carimo Mohomed publishes his new book:

ICST member, Carimo Mohomed, recently published his new book, “Islamic Reformism in India between 1857-1947: The Conception of State in Chiragh ‘Ali, Muhammad Iqbal, and Sayyid Abu’l ‘Ala Mawdudi,” with Ekpyrosis Press. It can be found on the Ekpyrosis Press website, Amazon (US), and Lulu (US and International).

Raffaele Mauriello discusses Iran on Radio1 Rai:

ICST member and professor at Allahmeh Tabatabai’i University, discusses Israel’s attack on Iran. Professor Mauriello had to flee Iran for Azerbaijan before returning to Italy. This interview is in Italian only. Raffaele Mauriello on Radio1 Rai.

New book by Seyed Javad Miri:

Seyed Javad Miri recently published his new book, Towards Emancipation: Decolonality and Critical Social Theory in the Primordial School of Thought. This new book, which is a “rigorous exploration of non-Western intellectual traditions and their potential to reshape the contours of contemporary social theory,” was published by Ekpyrosis Press. It can be found on the Ekpyrosis Press website, Amazon (US), and Lulu (US and International).

Dustin J. Byrd discusses the life and legacy of Pope Francis with ICST member, Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert:

New Book on Ali Shariati, edited by Dustin J. Byrd & Seyed Javad Miri:

ICST Founder and Co-directors, Dustin J. Byrd and Seyed Javad Miri, recently published a new edited volume on the Iranian social theorist, Ali Shariati. This book, entitled, Ali Shariati: Critical Social Theory and the Struggle for Decolonization, was published by Ekpyrosis Press in 2024. Contributors include: Dustin J. Byrd, Seyed Javad Miri, Joseph Alayna, Esmaeil Zeiny, Vahideh Sadeghi, Bijan Abdolkarimi, Raewyn Connell, Carimo Mohomed, Tanveer Azamet, Teo Lee Ken, Milad Dokhanchi, Fatemeh Shayan, Ali Harfouch, M.S. Kolbadi, Mohammad Masud Noruzi Shemirani. It is available at the Ekpyrosis Press website, Amazon (US), and Lulu (US and International).

New Book Review by Carimo Mohomed:

ICST member, Carimo Mohomed, has published a new book review on Seema Golestaneh’s Unknowing and the Everyday: Sufism and Knowledge in Iran, in the journal Islamic Studies 64, no. 1. https://doi.org/10.52541/isiri.v64i1.7031

CALL FOR PAPERS: René Guénon:

The Institute for Critical Social Theory would like to invite qualified scholars to contribute to the forthcoming edited volume on the thought of René Guénon. If you are interested and would like to contribute, please see the official Call for Papers below:

ICST Conference 2025:

ICST would like to invite you to our inaugural conference being held at Bristol University (UK) on July 17-19th, 2025. The theme of the conference is “Critical Theory in an Age of Social Disintegration.” The deadline to submit your abstract in February 15th, 2025. The Call for Papers is below. Please consider joining us.

Carimo Mohamed’s book review: Strangers in the Land:

ICST member, Carimo Mohamed, recently published a book review on, Strangers in the Land: Traveling Texts, Imagined Others, and Captured Souls in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Traditions in Late Antique and Mediaeval Times, edited by Miriam L. Hjälm and Marzena Zawanowska, and published by Brill. The full article can be found here: Strangers in the Land.

Dustin J. Byrd talks Erich Fromm:

Coming talk with Amjad Hussain:

New Article by Carimo Mohamed:

ICST member, Dr. Carimo Mohomed, recently published an article entitled, “Becoming Modern and Secular: a Review Essay on Recent Work on Islam and South Asia,” published in the Journal of Law and Religion 39, no. 2 (August 2024). (Cambridge University Press).

New Article by Dustin J. Byrd:

The Institute for Critical Social Theory’s Founder and Co-Director, Dustin J. Byrd, recently published the article, “From We want to Destroy the Regime” to “We want to Destroy the World Order”: Russian Multipolarity and the Enlistment of Post-Arab Spring Dār al-Islām,” in the special edition on contemporary Muslims thought, Philosophy and Society 35, no. 3 (October, 2024): 563-583. Published by the University of Belgrade, Serbia. Edited by Erin Poljarović and Ejub Kostić.

Rachel Woodlock Joins ICST:

October 26, 2024: We are happy to announce that Dr. Rachel Woodlock has joined the Institute for Critical Social Theory. Dr. Woodlock is a Lecturer at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and is a scholar of Islamophobia, issues of Muslims in the West, and Islamic heterodoxies. We are more than happy to have her on board! Please see her biography on our “Members” page.

Dustin J. Byrd’s New Article:

Dustin J. Byrd, (The University of Olivet) Founder and Co-Director of the Institute for Critical Social Theory, recently published the article, “Can Religion be Rescued in the 21st Century: On Erich Fromm’s Religious Humanism in an Age of Authoritarian Populism.” The article was published in the Journal of Psychosocial Studies (University of Bristol Press). Dr. Byrd can be reached at: dustinjbyrd@gmail.com

Daniele Cantini’s New Article:

ICST scholar, Daniele Cantini (Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin) published his new article, “The Making of Religion in Secular Educational Spaces – A View from Jordan,” with Spring Press in the journal Contemporary Islam. It can be accessed here: The Making of Religion in Secular Educational Spaces. Dr. Cantini can be reached at: daniele.cantini@gmail.com

Author’s Talk with Amjad Hussain:

Creating Knowledge in Asia: Challenges & Opportunities with Syed Farid Alatas:

Talking about Erich Fromm and Religion:

On January 21, 2024, Dustin J. Byrd discussed the dialectics of religion regarding the thought of Erich Fromm, psychoanalyst and philosopher. Byrd, who is the Founder and Co-Director of the Institute for Critical Social Theory, argued for the need for the political Left to take seriously the emancipatory, compassionate, and transcendent elements of religion, to be religions’ custodians, unless such a “catalogue” of human thought, as Fromm called it, be weaponized against the “others” in Western society. Byrd was joined by Dr. Joan Braune, Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert, Dr. Rainer Funk, and Dr. Hille Haker. The event was sponsored by the Erich Fromm Society of North America.

Decolonizing Theory with Aditya Nigam:

On February 11th, 2024, members of the Institute for Critical Social Theory will join Aditya Nigam to discuss his book, Decolonizing Theory: Thinking across Tradition. The participants include Syed Farid Alatas, Dustin J. Byrd, Michael Naughton, Mehdi Shariati and Seyed Javad Miri. The video can be found here: Aditya Nigam.

Dustin J. Byrd discusses Russian Political Theology:

In September of 2023, Dr. Dustin J. Byrd, Founder and Co-Director of the Institute for Critical Social Theory, participated in the “Apocalyptic Times” conference at the University of Exeter. Here, he discusses the work of Alexander Dugin and his use of the Pauline concept of the “Katechon,” the “restrainer of the anti-Christ.”

“Islam and Postmodernism” with Amjad Hussein:

“Akbarian Metaphysics” with Prof. Dr. Sajjad Rizvi:

World Philosophy Day with Hadje Sadje:

Sociology or Social Studies:

The co-director of the Institute for Critical Social Theory, Seyed Javad Miri, will participate in a forthcoming roundtable to discuss the importance of sociology as a discipline in solving expansive issues concerning human society. Sadly, in the past decades, we were faced with a trend where sociology (even the name of the discipline) was sidelined and replaced by a concocted name, i.e., “social studies.” Under this banner, disciplines such as Arabic, Islamic Studies, Islamic Philosophy, Security Studies, Management, and Political Science, were included as the discipline of social studies, while Sociology was shunned and suppressed. On Tuesday, September 26, 2024, a group of scholars will debate the importance sociological imagination and the significance of Sociology as a discipline. Participants include: Mustafa Mehraeen (Sociology); Seyed Javad Miri (Sociology); Hamid Tonekaboni (Management); Maryam Nasr Esfahani (Islamic Studies), and Somayeh Tohidlou (Sociology).

The event will take place at the Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran.

ICST’s New Journal: Critical Perspectives:

Our journal, Islamic Perspective, will be transitioning into Critical Perspectives, the new official journal of the Institute for Critical Social Theory. This change will broaden our scope of inquiry and help us realize our aim of being interdisciplinary. The journal will continue to be peer-reviewed, bi-annual, and scholarly. We will begin to accept articles for publication in 2024.

ICST Members meet in Berlin:

ICST members, Co-Directors Dustin J. Byrd and Seyed Javad Miri, along with Michael Naughton and Mehdi Shariati, met at the 3rd International Erich Fromm Research Conference in Berlin (June 2023). The Conference was hosted by the International Psychoanalytic University Berlin. Outside of the conference, the members discussed the future of the ICST, including the establishment of the new journal, Critical Perspectives, as well as the possibility of holding an in-person conference at the University of Bristol, UK, in 2025. More information is to come.

Call for Papers: Alexander Dugin and the Future of Russia:

The Co-Directors of the Institute for Critical Social Theory, Dr. Dustin J. Byrd and Dr. Seyed Javad Miri, would like to invite qualified scholars to participate in a critical book project on the Russian philosopher, Alexander Dugin. While the official date to submit an abstract as past, the editors will consider proposals until the end of 2023. Please see the below call for papers.