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Strongmen and the Assault on Democracy and Truth: Is It Time to Use the F-Word? with Ruth Ben-Ghiat
The global rise of authoritarianism and anti-democratic efforts in the United States have prompted many to use the f-word - “fascism” - to characterize our current moment. In what ways does the political ideology of fascism capture or misrepresent what’s happening in political life today? In particular, how do strongmen and authoritarian movements rely upon lies, violence and a false construction of reality to further their goals? Join us for this moderated conversation with Ruth Ben-Ghiat, historian, commentator and author.
The Recovering Truth: Religion, Journalism and Democracy in a Post-Truth Era project is supported by a generous grant from the Henry Luce Foundation’s Program in Theology.
About the speaker:
Ruth Ben-Ghiat is Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University. She writes about fascism, authoritarianism, propaganda and democracy protection. She is the recipient of Guggenheim and other fellowships, an advisor to Protect Democracy and an MSNBC opinion columnist. She appears frequently on MSNBC and other networks. She publishes Lucid, a Substack newsletter on threats to democracy in the U.S. and abroad. Her latest book, “Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present,” examines how illiberal 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 Guillermo del Toro’s Academy Award-winning 2022 movie “Pinocchio,” which is set in Fascist Italy. She also advises civil society organizations that pursue democracy protection, and businesses and organizations that face challenges from autocratic interference around the world.