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BJG
Historian of Modern Europe
Scholar of Winemaking under Italian Fascism
Dabbler in All Things Digital Humanities

Brian J Griffith

I am an Assistant Professor of Modern European History at California State University, Fresno. I write and teach courses on the political and cultural history of modern Europe, with a particular emphasis on Italian Fascism and German Nazism, food and beverage history, the history of (trans)nationalism, and Digital and Public History. My current research focuses on the history of industrial-scale winemaking and national identity in Mussolini's Italy (1922-1945), the history of transnational volunteerism during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War (1935-1936) and the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), and the history of neo-fascism in Italy (1950s-2010s).

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What I Do

Research

My current research focuses on the intersections between Fascism, the circulation of commodities, and identity construction in interwar Italy and its immigrant colonies.

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Teaching

I teach courses on Modern Italian, European, and World History, 20th and 21st century fascisms, the history of food, beverages, and consumerism, and Digital and Public History.

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Media

In addition to my research and teaching, I frequently write history-focused opinion and analysis articles and give interviews with media outlets, independent journalists, and podcasts.

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Curriculum Vitae

Education

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
2012–2020

University of California, Santa Barbara

Department of History

Master of Arts (M.A.)
2009–2011

San Francisco State University

Department of History

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
2007–2009

Sonoma State University

Department of History

Employment

Assistant Professor
2023–

California State University, Fresno

Department of History

Lecturer
2022–2023

Scripps College

Department of History

Lecturer
2022–2023

University of California, Los Angeles

Department of History

Postdoctoral Scholar
2020–2022

University of California, Los Angeles

Department of History

Lecturer
2020; 2022

University of California, Santa Barbara

Department of History

Fellowships, Grants & Awards

Fellowships
2020–2022

Eugen and Jacqueline Weber Postdoctoral Scholar in European History Fellowship

History Department | UC Los Angeles

2018–2019

Fulbright Study/Research Fellowship

Institute of International Education | Sapienza Università di Roma

Grants
2022; 2024

“Ad-Hoc” Trinity College Research Grant in Modern Italian History

Cesare Barbieri Endowment | Trinity College

Awards
2021

SIHS Article Prize for Modern Italian History

Society for Italian Historical Studies

* An award for the best article on Italian history by an early career author. Winning article: “Bacchus among the Blackshirts: Wine Making, Consumerism and Identity in Fascist Italy, 1919-1937.”

Selected Publications

Articles

"Bacchus among the Blackshirts: Wine Making, Consumerism and Identity in Fascist Italy, 1919-1937"

Contemporary European History 29:4 (November 2020): 394-415

* Winner of the 2021 SIHS Article Prize for Modern Italian History

Chapters

"'Propaganda for Our Italy': Ruth Williams Ricci, Gendered Mobility, and Fascist Italy’s African Empire, 1935-1941"

In Andrea Germer and Jasmin Rückert, eds., Gendering Fascism: Individual Actors, Concepts, and Transnational Connections (Leiden: Brill, 2025): 309-336

"(Inter)National Spirits: On the Cultural Politics of the 'Cocktail Craze' in Fascist Italy, 1920s-1930s"

In David Inglis and Hang Kei Ho, eds., Drinks in Vogue: Exploring the Changing Worlds of Fashions and Beverages (New York: Routledge, 2024): 77-103

Digital Humanities

Where Monsters Are Born: Documenting a Fascist Revival in the Streets of Rome, 2018-2019

* Co-edited with Dr. Amy King

Pedagogy

“Authoritarian Aesthetics and Youth Appeals”

American Historical Review (April 13, 2026)

Engagement

“80 Years after Auschwitz, Elon Musk Keeps the Fascist Salute Alive”

Newsweek (January 27, 2025)

"The Centennial of an Assassination in Italy Offers a Sober Warning for Today"

TIME (June 14, 2024)

* Co-authored with Dr. Amy King

"Failure to Respond Strongly to Putin’s Aggression Could Prove Catastrophic: How the League of Nations’ Weak Response to Italy’s Invasion of Ethiopia Helped Precipitate World War II"

The Washington Post (February 24, 2022)

Download My Curriculum Vitae

To download an extended version of my Curriculum Vitae, featuring my full list of publications, conference and workshop presentations, fellowships, grants, and awards, and professional contributions, please click on the button provided below.

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Research

Wine and Identity in Interwar Italy

Wine and Identity in Interwar Italy

Article, Chapter, Monograph
The Second Italo-Ethiopian War

The Second Italo-Ethiopian War

Article, Chapter, Digital, Monograph, Volume
The Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil War

Digital, Volume
Neo-Fascism in Postwar Italy

Neo-Fascism in Postwar Italy

Digital, Exhibition

Teaching

Topics and Themes

European History

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Food History

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Digital History

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Public History

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Media

Presentations & Interviews

Presentation

“Fascism beyond Borders: Towards the 'Rebirth' of Generic Fascism”

60 Years: Fascism Seminar Revisited

A conference presentation on the scholarly study of "generic fascism"

Interview

Refuse Fascism: The Year Ahead and the New Fascism Syllabus

Refuse Fascism Podcast with Samantha Goldman

A podcast interview on my work alongside Dr. Jennifer Evans with the New Fascism Syllabus

Presentation

"Wine, Beer, and the Politics of Identity in Fascist Italy"

UCLA Center for European and Russian Studies

A virtual talk on wine and beer marketing battles in Fascist Italy.

Opinions & Perspectives

OpEd

"80 Years after Auschwitz, Elon Musk Keeps the Fascist Salute Alive"

Newsweek

An OpEd on Elon Musk's unmistakable, and reprehensible, fascist salute at Donald J. Trump's post-inauguration rally in Washington DC.

OpEd

"100 Years after Mussolini's Dictatorship, a Trumpian US Flirts with the Long Night of Authoritarianism"

Common Dreams

An OpEd on the centennial of Benito Mussolini's declaration of dictatorship in January 1925 and its parallels with Donald J. Trump's re-election as President of the United States.

OpEd

"The Centennial of an Assassination in Italy Offers a Sober Warning for Today"

TIME

An OpEd on the centennial of Giacomo Matteotti's political murder by Benito Mussolini's fascist henchmen in June 1924.

Community & Engagement

Public Engagement

Fresno State History Department Book Talks

California State University, Fresno

A series of hosted book talks associated with California State University, Fresno's History Department

Public Engagement

Interwar Crisis Book Talks

University of California, Los Angeles

A series of book talks held in conjunction with my course "Interwar Crisis: Europe, 1918-1939" at University of California, Los Angeles during the Spring 2021 and Spring 2022 quarters.

Media Mention

"How the Politics of Prosecco Explain What Took the Fizz Out of the Democrats"

The Guardian

An OpEd by Mark Blyth on the politics of prosecco in Italy, which mentions my research on winemaking under Benito Mussolini's dictatorship.

Media Inquiries

I am available for interviews with scholars, journalists, and history-oriented podcasts. To request an interview, click on the "Contact Me" button provided below and send me a message.

Weblog

Contact Me

CSU Fresno

View my CSU Fresno profile

ORCID

View my ORCID profile

Google Scholar

View my Google Scholar profile

BlueSky

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