Neonazism in Transnational Perspective
Even after the fall of the Third Reich in 1945, sympathy towards and belief in the ideologies of Nazism—including antisemitism- continued not only in Germany, but also outside of its borders. This web event brings into conversation Professors Michelle L. Kahn of the University of Richmond and Steven J. Ross of the University of Southern California, who will discuss their research that examines international support for Nazism before 1945 and its transnational resurgence following World War II through the 1990s.
Michelle Lynn Kahn is an Associate Professor of Modern European History at the University of Richmond. Her research examines post-1945 Germany and Europe in a global and transnational frame, focusing on far-right extremism, migration, and racism. She is the author of Foreign in Two Homelands: Racism, Return Migration, and Turkish-German History (Cambridge University Press, 2024). She is currently writing a book about the transatlantic history of neo-Nazis in Germany and the United States from 1945 to 2000. She was awarded the 2019 Fritz Stern Dissertation Prize of the German Historical Institute and the 2022 Chester Penn Higby Prize of the American Historical Association.
Steven J. Ross is Distinguished Professor of History and Director of the University of Southern California’s Casden Institute for the Study of the Jewish Role in American Life. His recent book, Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America was named a Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History for 2018 and has been on the Los Angeles Times Bestseller List for 23 weeks. It was also made into a documentary for French television, Leon Lewis, the Man Who Defeated the Nazis in Hollywood (English title). Ross’s current book, The Secret War Against Hate: American Resistance to Antisemitism and White Supremacy will be published by Bloomsbury Press in 2026.
