J.M. Berger

Berger is the author of four books, including Optimal (2020), Extremism (2018), ISIS: The State of Terror with Jessica Stern (2015) and Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam (2011). His 2024 doctoral dissertation, The Social Construction of Extremism, is an ambitious exploration of the root causes of extremism that pushes back on the conventional wisdom of the field in surprising and original ways, offering a new theory of extremism's origins. Berger's other recent work includes three major papers on the concept of lawful extremism, including Lawful Extremism: Extremist Ideology and the Dred Scott Decision (CTEC, 2023) and, with Beth Daviess, Lawful Extremism: The Chinese Exclusion Act (CTEC, 2024) and Lawful Extremism: Florida's Anti-Trans Laws (CTEC, 2024). 

Berger is a Senior Research Fellow for the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism (CTEC) at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, a member of the editorial board of Terrorism and Political Violence, and a Research Fellow with the VOX-Pol Network of Excellence. As a consultant for social media companies and government agencies, Berger is available to consult on policy development and conduct research and training on issues and policies related to homegrown terrorism, online extremism, and countering violent extremism (CVE).  

Berger's extensive research on the dystopian literature genre led to the creation of his debut novel, Optimal (2020), a dystopian tale about a world run by algorithms and social media. Reviewers praised it as "gripping," "absorbing" and "great storytelling."