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Ruth Ben-Ghiat (born April 17, 1960) is an American history professor and political commentator. She is a scholar on fascism and authoritarian leaders.[1] Ben-Ghiat is professor of history and Italian studies at New York University.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Ben-Ghiat in 2019
Born (1960-04-17) April 17, 1960 (age 64)
United States
Occupations
  • Historian
  • academic
AwardsGuggenheim Fellowship (2004)
Academic background
Alma mater
ThesisThe formation of a Fascist culture: the Realist movement in Italy, 1930–43 (1991)
Academic work
Discipline
InstitutionsNew York University
Main interests
Notable worksStrongmen: Mussolini to the Present
Websiteruthbenghiat.com

Biography

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Born in the United States to a Scottish mother and an Israeli Sephardi Jewish father, she grew up in Pacific Palisades, California.[2][3][4] She has a degree in history from UCLA and obtained her Ph.D. in comparative history at Brandeis University. A member of the American Historical Association since 1990,[5] she is professor of history and Italian studies at New York University.[6] She regularly writes for CNN, The Atlantic, and The Huffington Post.[7] She is an advisor to Protect Democracy, an organisation opposing attacks on U.S. democracy.[8]

On February 13, 2023, it was announced that Ben-Ghiat would take up temporary residency at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa as the Spring 2023 Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals.[9]

Works

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Books

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  • Ben-Ghiat, Ruth (2000). La cultura fascista (in Italian). Translated by Bassi, Maria Luisa. Bologna: Il Mulino.[10]
  • Ben-Ghiat, Ruth (2002). Fascist Modernities: Italy, 1922–1945. Berkeley, California: University of California Press.[11]
  • Ben-Ghiat, Ruth; Fuller, Mia, eds. (2005). Italian Colonialism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230606364.[12]
  • Ben-Ghiat, Ruth; Hom, Stephanie Malia, eds. (2015). Italian Mobilities. London: Routledge. ISBN 9781138778146. OCLC 1061814583.[13]
  • Ben-Ghiat, Ruth (2015). Italian Fascism's Empire Cinema. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press.[14]
  • Ben-Ghiat, Ruth (2020). Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.[15]

Journal articles

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Ph.D. dissertation

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  • Ben-Ghiat, Ruth (1991). The formation of a Fascist culture: the Realist movement in Italy, 1930–43 (Thesis). Waltham, Massachusetts: Brandeis University. OCLC 35153484.

References

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  1. ^ Kwong, Matt (June 5, 2018). "Trump muses about pardoning himself. Experts on authoritarianism are horrified". CBC.
  2. ^ Ben-Ghiat, Ruth (December 21, 2021). "Home For the Holidays, But Not by Choice". Substack. Retrieved January 12, 2022. When you grow up in Southern California with immigrant parents (Scottish mother, Israeli father) and your closest non-nuclear family members are all 11–14 hours away by plane, you know that seeing family is a luxury...Any available vacation time and money my parents had were spent going to England (where many of my parents' siblings lived) and to Israel, sometimes on the same trip.
  3. ^ Alexander, Neta (April 2, 2017). "The Mistake People Make Regarding Trump's Middle-of-the-night Tweets". Haaretz. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  4. ^ Blitzer, Jonathan (November 4, 2016). "A Scholar of Fascism Sees a Lot That's Familiar with Trump". The New Yorker. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  5. ^ Keough, Matthew (August 13, 2014). "AHA Member Spotlight: Ruth Ben-Ghiat". Perspectives on History. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  6. ^ "Ruth Ben-Ghiat". NYU Arts & Science. New York University. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  7. ^ DeVega, Chauncey (June 12, 2017). "Ruth Ben-Ghiat on how Trump is already using "fascist tactics"". Salon. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  8. ^ "Our Advisors and Board". Protect Democracy. 2025. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  9. ^ "Notable historian of authoritarianism and MSNBC columnist to serve as Inouye chair". University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. February 13, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  10. ^ Review of La cultura fascista: Anna Maria Torriglia, Annali d'Italianistica, JSTOR 26148641
  11. ^ Reviews of Fascist Modernities:
  12. ^ Reviews of Italian Colonialism:
  13. ^ Review of Italian Mobilities: Cristina Lombardi-Diop, Italian American Review, doi:10.5406/italamerrevi.8.1.0075
  14. ^ Reviews of Italian Fascism’s Empire Cinema:
  15. ^ Reviews of Strongmen:
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