Christian Ruth

Postdoctoral Fellow
CSE 0483

Christian Ruth is a historian whose work focuses on diplomacy, global economics, the environment, and the history of ideas.

His first book, “One-Third Rich and Two-Thirds Hungry: Development and Neoliberalism in the Late Cold War” (Cambridge University Press, 2025), examines the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and uses foreign aid as a lens to look at Cold War politics, Global North-South relations, and the expansion of neoliberal ideas.

He is currently working on two manuscripts:

The first is “A King in America: Modern Monarchism in the United States and Abroad” which is about the long history of illiberalism and monarchist movements within the democratic West. The book will examine ways that modern monarchist movements in Europe and the United States tie into the emerging realm of postliberalism and other reactionary ideological movements.

The second is “Just Close Your Eyes and Chew: Neoliberalism, Water, and Food,” which discusses the ways Western governments and agronomists helped create demand for “ancient grains” and “lost crops” through 20th century international development efforts. The book reveals how neoliberal economics helped both uplift and harm local economies and environments in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

You can find his research in “The Journal of Cold War Studies,” “Diplomatic History,” and “The Journal of Right-Wing Studies,” and elsewhere. He has been happy to contribute to public-facing conversations on development, foreign policy, and history at online sources like Nursing Clio, ReMedia, The Conversation, and WIRED.

Education

  • Ph.D. in History, University at Albany SUNY, 2022
  • M.A. in History, University of Kentucky, 2016
  • B.A. in History, University of Kentucky, 2014

Support the Hamilton School

Support