Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
Congregation Emanu El, 1500 Sunset Blvd., Houston, TX 77005
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The Progressive Forum is pleased to present top international authority on fascism and the protection of democracy, Ruth Ben-Ghiat. She will be in conversation with Kathleen Canning, a scholar on German history and the Weimar Republic, as well as Randall Morton, Progressive Forum executive director.
Kathleen Canning is Dean of the Rice University School of Humanities and Arts, as well as the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of History. Prior to her arrival at Rice in 2017, she was chair of the Department of History at the University of Michigan. Her major field of research is modern German and European history with an emphasis on democracy and the Weimar Republic. Newsweek’s College Guide named her among the nation’s “Four Great Professors” in 2009.
About Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present
Strongmen (2021) describes what modern authoritarian leaders have in common and how they can be stopped. It lays bare the blueprint they have followed over the past 100 years, which empowers us to recognize, resist, and prevent their disastrous rule in the future. Ben-Ghiat’s seven books also include the recent bestseller, Strongmen: How They Rise, Why They Succeed, How They Fall (2021), explaining how countries from Russia to India, Turkey to America, draw on a playbook established by figures such as Mussolini, Gaddafi, and Hitler.
About Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Ruth Ben-Ghiat is an international authority on the fascist playbook and the protection of democracy. An acclaimed historian and commentator, she explains how strongmen combine populist appeal with authoritarian policy by manipulating history, fears, and desires. She is an MSNBC and CNN commentator and writes for The New York Times, The Economist, The Atlantic, and many others. She is a historical consultant for TV and film, her recent projects include Netflix’s Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial, as well the Oscar-winning Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. She is the recipient of Guggenheim, Fulbright, and other fellowships. She is Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University, Advisor to Protect Democracy, and publisher of the popular Substack newsletter “Lucid.”
Generously sponsored by Amy Sutton and Gary Chiles, Margery and Robert Loeb, Rebecca and Scott McCay, and the Rice University School of Humanities and Arts
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Theater doors open at 6:30 p.m. when ticket holders can take their seats.
Door search, no large bags. Please refrain from bringing backpacks and anything larger than a small clutch purse into the event. Large items will be asked to be returned to your vehicle. All items are subject to search at the door.
Program is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Emanu El, 1500 Sunset Blvd, Houston, TX, 77005, across from Rice University.
Please present your eTicket on your mobile device or print your PDF eTicket and bring it with you to the venue for entry. Your PDF eTicket is emailed from customerservice@ovationtix.com (please check your spam or junk folder). If needed, our box office or ushers can help you get your ticket by providing your last name.
Free parking is available in the Congregation Emanu El campus garage. Enter on Sunset Blvd where uniformed officers will direct you.
Discounted books on sale at the Blue Willow Bookshop table in lobby.
No book signing at the evening’s conclusion.
Ticket prices are $154, $75, and $49 plus fees.
Private patron reception with the speaker begins at 6:15 p.m. with cash bar and complimentary lite bites, dessert, and coffee buffet for $154 ticket holders and those who have donated $1,000 or more in the past year. Reception located in the Oshman Multi-Purpose Room to the right of the main entrance, if entering from the parking garage. The speaker leaves the reception at 6:45 p.m. after a half-hour. So that everyone in the speaker greeting line has a chance to chat with the speaker, there is no book signing, autographing, or photography with the speaker in the speaker greeting line. In the rest of the reception room, photography and videography are welcome.
Box office services (credit card only) are available at the door on event night. In case of a sellout, there is no waiting list. Prior to event night, there are no tickets sold at Congregation Emanu El or any other physical location.
For box office assistance or for any other issues, please call 832-509-0262 or email boxoffice@progressiveforumhouston.org.
Guests who need special access are eligible for any ticket price. Ushers will seat special access guests in the aisles in the rear nearest restrooms. All rows are close to the speaker podium in the intimate seating environment.
During the lecture program, we will ask the audience to silence their personal digital devices, asking for no photography or videography.
Feel free to contact The Progressive Forum by email at staff@progressiveforumhouston.org.