Join us for a conversation with New York Times bestselling author and New York University Professor of History Ruth Ben-Ghiat, who will visit Saint Mary's on April 13. 

Ben-Ghiat is a professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University. She writes about authoritarianism, propaganda, and democracy protection. She is the recipient of Guggenheim and other fellowships and a media commentator. She publishes Lucid, a Substack newsletter on threats to democracy in the US and abroad.

Her New York Times bestseller Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, examines how authoritarian leaders use corruption, violence, propaganda, and machismo to stay in power, and how resistance to them has unfolded over a century. She is a consultant for television and film productions, including the Academy Award-winning 2022 movie Pinocchio (Guillermo del Toro, 2022), and the Netflix docuseries Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial (Joe Berlinguer, 2024). She advises Protect Democracy and civil society organizations, including churches and multinational corporations, that face autocratic interferences in the US and around the world.

This event is free and hosted by the Department of History

7 p.m., Carroll Auditorium, Madeleva Hall
April 13, 2027