Ruth Ben-Ghiat (born April 17, 1960) is an American history professor and political commentator.

[1] Ben-Ghiat is professor of history and Italian studies at New York University.

Born in the United States to a Scottish mother and an Israeli Sephardi Jewish father, she grew up in Pacific Palisades, California.

A member of the American Historical Association since 1990,[5] she is professor of history and Italian studies at New York University.

[7] 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.