Ruth Harris

Born in Israel in 1958 and raised in Philadelphia, Ruth Harris is an American historian and academic. She pursued her higher education at the University of Pennsylvania, earning both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts. Subsequently, she received a scholarship to study at the University of Oxford, where she completed her Doctor of Philosophy in 1984. Her doctoral research focused on "Murders and madness: legal psychiatry and criminal anthropology in Paris, 1880-1910."

Harris has had a distinguished academic career primarily at the University of Oxford. She began as a junior research fellow at St John's College before moving to Smith College in the United States as an associate professor. Returning to Oxford, she became a fellow at New College, where she taught history and lectured in the Faculty of History. Since 2011, she has held the position of Professor of Modern History at Oxford, and since 2016, she has been a senior research fellow at All Souls College. Her significant contributions to historical scholarship have been recognized with awards such as the Wolfson History Prize in 2010 for her biography of Alfred Dreyfus.

Ruth Harris's academic journey has been largely centered at the University of Oxford, with a significant period spent at Smith College in the United States. After initial research fellowships at St John's College, Oxford, she taught as an associate professor at Smith College from 1987 to 1990. She then returned to Oxford, holding a fellowship at New College for over two decades. In 2011, she was appointed Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford, a position she holds to this day. Further solidifying her standing, she became a senior research fellow at All Souls College in 2016. Harris has also been recognized for her scholarly achievements through prestigious lectureships, including the George L. Mosse lectures and the George Macaulay Trevelyan lectures. She contributes to the academic discourse as a member of the Editorial Board for Past & Present.

Harris's scholarly output has garnered significant recognition. Her book, "The Man on Devil's Island: Alfred Dreyfus and the Affair that Divided France," earned her the prestigious Wolfson History Prize in 2010. This work delves into the life of Alfred Dreyfus and the profound impact of the affair that polarized French society. Earlier in her career, she received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1996 for her research in French History. Her doctoral thesis, "Murders and madness: legal psychiatry and criminal anthropology in Paris, 1880-1910," laid the groundwork for her later explorations into historical and societal dynamics. In 2011, she was elected a Fellow of the British Academy, acknowledging her contributions to the humanities and social sciences.