[12] More recently, he has moved into other areas, producing The Cult of Individualism: A History of an Enduring American Myth (2013)[13] and The Depression Era: A Historical Exploration of Literature (2016)[14] and has edited Doughboys on the Western Front: Memories of American Soldiers in the Great War (2016)[15] as well as the two-volume set Star Power: The Impact of Branded Celebrity (2014).
[16] In 2011, he edited a volume of essays written by Returned Peace Corps Volunteers called One Hand Does Not Catch a Buffalo[17][18] in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, Barlow himself having served in Togo (88–90).
[19] The book won a silver medal in the Travel Essay category of the 2011 Independent Publisher Book Awards[20] His academic career includes two years as a senior lecturer at the University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso as a Fulbright Fellow from 1985 to 1987.
[21] In 2016, he wrote regularly for Salon on political issues but stopped after the November election.
[22] His article "The Triumph of the Lie: How Honesty and Morality Died in Right-Wing Politics" appeared in the Summer 2017 issue of The Public Eye.