In Defense of Charisma

Charisma is a contested force. People like Mother Theresa used it for good, but Adolf Hitler also had it and used it for genocide. In Defense of Charisma (Columbia University Press) argues that charisma can be used to wage war for social justice instead of oppression, differentiating between authoritarian charisma, which helps the powerful become more so at the expense of others, and democratic charisma, which can change the way we see ourselves in the world and how we struggle for justice. Vincent W. Lloyd ’03 argues that people should ignore celebrity charisma and focus on the moral charisma of neighbors and friends.