Ruth Harris FBA (born 25 December 1958) is an American historian and academic. She has been Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford since 2011 and a senior research fellow at All Souls College, Oxford, since 2016. Previously, she was a junior research fellow at St John's College, Oxford, from 1983 to 1987, an associate professor at Smith College from 1987 to 1990, and a fellow of New College, Oxford, between 1990 and 2016. She was awarded the Wolfson History Prize in 2010 for her book The Man on Devil's Island, a biography on Alfred Dreyfus.

Early life and education

Harris was born on 25 December 1958. ^[1] She grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. ^[2] She studied at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree and a Master of Arts (MA) degree. ^{[2] [3]} Having won a scholarship, she then studied at the University of Oxford and completed a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree in 1984. ^{[2] [4]} Her doctoral thesis was titled "Murders and madness: legal psychiatry and criminal anthropology in Paris, 1880-1910". ^[4]

Academic career

Harris began her academic career as a junior research fellow at St John's College, Oxford, between 1983 and 1987. ^{[3] [2]} In 1987, she was shortlisted for a position at Christ Church, Oxford, but "decided to withdraw when she realised there was only one other woman fellow at the college". ^[2] Instead, she returned to the United States and took up a position at Smith College, an all-women's liberal arts college in Northampton, Massachusetts. ^[2] From 1987 to 1990, she was an associate professor at Smith College. ^{[3] [2]}

In 1990, Harris returned to England was elected a Fellow of New College, Oxford. ^[2] At college level, she was a tutor in history. ^[3] She also lectures in the Faculty of History, University of Oxford, and was granted a Title of Distinction in 2011 as Professor of Modern History. ^{[5] [6]} In 2016, she was elected a senior research fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. ^{[7] [8]}

In 2006, she delivered the George L. Mosse lectures at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. ^[9] In 2017, delivered the George Macaulay Trevelyan lectures in Cambridge. ^[10]

She is a member of the Editorial Board for Past & Present. ^[11]

Personal life

In 1985, Harris married Iain Pears, an author. Together they have two sons. ^[1]

Honours

In 1996, Harris was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for research in French History. ^[12] She was awarded the 2010 Wolfson History Prize for her book, The Man on Devil's Island: Alfred Dreyfus and the Affair that Divided France. ^{[5] [13]} In 2011, she was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA), the UK's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. ^[14] In February 2014, she was made an Honorary Fellow of St John's College, Oxford. ^[15]

Selected works

• Harris, Ruth (1989). Murders and madness: medicine, law, and society in the fin de siècle. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN  978-0198229919.
• Harris, Ruth (1999). Lourdes: body and spirit in a secular age. London: Allen Lane. ISBN  978-0713991864.
• Harris, Ruth, ed. (2006). The Art of Survival: Essays in Honour of Olwen Hufton. Oxford: Oxford Journals. ISBN  978-0199208029.
• Harris, Ruth (2010). The man on Devil's Island: Alfred Dreyfus and the affair that divided France. London: Allen Lane. ISBN  978-0713997309.

References